Mystic Dan won his 150th Kentucky Derby with an exciting three-horse photo finish.
The bay colt, trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez, held off Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose at odds of 18-1 in the $5 million race at Churchill Downs.
More than 150,000 spectators waited nearly 10 minutes for the results to be officially announced. Catching Freedom took 4th place.
Mystic Dan wins the G1 Kentucky Derby with a thrilling photo finish! #kaiderby
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 4, 2024
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Hernandez, 38, said he thought he had won the race on the far turn of the 1.5-mile course.
“My horse was very competitive in the inside bracket,” said Reverend Hernandez. “I’ve really gotten over the edge. I tried climbing up on the rail a little bit. He was able to shoot that spot and cut the corner, so when I asked him to go for it. , he hit the shot and I thought, “Oh, we have a great chance to win the Kentucky Derby.”
“Seeing him take such a leap towards winning the Derby, I don’t think this feeling will sink in for a while.”
Hernandez and McPeak teamed up to win Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for fillies with Thorped Anna. This makes McPeak the first trainer since 1952, and only the fourth trainer in history to win the Oaks and Derby in the same year.
More to come.
