The 150th Kentucky Derby was Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. The race came down to the finish line and the winner had to be determined by a picture. Out of three horses, the winner was Mystik Dan.
Odds
On Saturday morning, there were several top contenders. Catching Freedom was 7-1, Forever Young (JPN) was 6-1, Sierra Leone was 5-1, and Fierceness, the favorite, was 3-1; Mystik Dan was 15-1. [1]
The Race
The highly-anticipated horse race took place right before 7:00 pm on Saturday. Fierceness was in the lead a lot of the race but Mystik Dan took the lead in the back stretch. Mystik Dan’s lead soon shrank as Sierra Leone and Forever Young caught up to him. [2] The three horses were so close at the finish line, the officials had to review pictures before announcing the winner.
Winner
After about ten minutes of waiting, the spectators knew the first, second, and third place finishers: Mystik Dan was first, Sierra Leone was second, and Forever Young was third. The race was the first time in 28 years that the Kentucky Derby was won by a nose and just the 10th time ever. [3]
Preakness
Mystik Dan’s owners, Sharilyn and Brent Gasaway, said that they are unsure if Mystik Dan will run in the Preakness on May 18th. They said that it will be “all about the health of the horse.” [4]
Notes:
- ^Kentucky Derby 2024: Updated odds as of the Saturday afternoon of the race (go back ↩)
- ^Kentucky Derby: Mystik Dan wins in three-horse photo finish, outruns favorite Fierceness in stunning upset (go back ↩)
- ^Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby in photo finish (go back ↩)
- ^‘A surreal feeling:’ Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s owners look to future races (go back ↩)
