- Mystik Dan won, literally, by a nose in one of the closest Derby finishes.
- Second place was taken by Sierra Leone, the second seed, with Forever Young in third place.
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One of the closest finishes in Kentucky Derby history marked the 150th running of the race, as Mystik Dan barely had a lead to win the first leg of the American Triple Crown.
Sierra Leone, favorite in the second betting, raced to the outside to try to surprise the crowd of more than 156,000 gathered at Churchill Downs.
In third place ran Forever Young, who was caught between Sierra Leone on the outside and Mystik Dan who was racing on the rails.
This is trainer Kenny McPeek’s first Kentucky Derby victory and second career Triple Crown victory after taking home the Preakness Stakes in 2020 with Swiss Skydiver.
Sent off at odds of 18-1, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. pulled ahead down the stretch with a short lead.
Sierra Leone, the second choice at 9-2 odds, and Japan’s Forever Young gave chase and pressured the leader all the way in front of 156,710 at Churchill Downs.
The crowd waited several minutes before stewards reviewed the result and declared it official.
“The longest minutes of my life,” Hernandez said, after he and the chestnut colt walked in circles as the surprising outcome was decided.
Fierceness, the 3-1 favorite, finished 15th out of 20 3-year-olds.
Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek had teamed up for a wire-to-wire victory in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for fillies with Thorpedo Anna.