1968 Kentucky Derby

94th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
Grade I stakes race
Location	Churchill Downs
Date	May 4, 1968
Winning horse	Forward Pass
Jockey	Ismael Valenzuela
Trainer	Henry Forrest
Owner	Calumet Farm
Surface	Dirt
	← 1967 1969 →

Last updated August 30, 2024

The 1968 Kentucky Derby was the 94th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 4, 1968.^[1]

The race was the first Kentucky Derby in which the winning horse was subsequently disqualified. Dancer's Image won the race, but was disqualified to last after traces of phenylbutazone were discovered in the mandatory post-race urinalysis.^[2] Second-place finisher Forward Pass was declared the winner. The controversy filled the sporting news of media outlets in North America and was a cover story for Sports Illustrated ,^[3] which referred to it as "the year's major sports story."^[4]

Full results

Finished	Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time / behind
1st	10	Forward Pass ^{[note 1]}	Ismael Valenzuela	Henry Forrest	Calumet Farm	2:02 1/5
2nd	7	Francie's Hat	Earlie Fires	James P. Conway	Saddle Rock Farm
3rd	2	T V Commercial	Howard Grant	Anthony L. Basile	Bwamazon Farm
4th	12	Kentucky Sherry	Jimmy Combest	Alcee J. Richard	Dorothy D. Brown
5th	3	Jig Time	Ray Broussard	MacKenzie Miller	Cragwood Stables
6th	4	Don B.	Donald R. Pierce	Lester Holt	Don B. Wood
7th	13	Trouble Brewing	Buck Thornburg	William Sterling	Coventry Rock Farm
8th	8	Proper Proof	Johnny Sellers	J. Lee Mosbacher	Mrs. Montgomery R. Fisher
9th	14	Te Vega	Mike Manganello	George C. Berthold	Brunswick Farm (Frank C. Sullivan)
10th	6	Captain's Gig	Manuel Ycaza	William Ward Stephens	Cain Hoy Stable
11th	1	Iron Ruler	Braulio Baeza	Edward J. Yowell	October House Farm
12th	5	Verbatim	Angel Cordero Jr.	Jerry C. Meyer	Elmendorf Farm
13th	11	Gleaming Sword	Eddie Belmonte	Robert L. Wheeler	Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
14th	9	Dancer's Image ^{[note 1]}	Bobby Ussery	Lou Cavalaris Jr.	Peter D. Fuller

Winning Breeder: Calumet Farm; (KY)

Race Description

Starting off out of the gates Dancers Image had a bad break out of the gate, leading the horse to fall behind very quickly being in last. Then Dancers Image started to make a comeback and getting all the way back to the front and by the 8th pole passed the favorite, Forward Pass, Leading Dancers image to victory. This was the 5th time a Horse had gone from last to first. This was short-lived as Dancers Image failed its urinalysis,^[2] this put Dancers Image back into last place. Runner-up Forward Pass was deemed the winner. ^[5]

Notes

1 2 3 Dancer's Image was initially declared the winner of the race with Forward Pass coming in second but was later disqualified due to prohibited drugs being found in his system post-race making Forward Pass the winner.

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References

↑ "1968". Kentuckyderby.com. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
1 2 "THE 1968 KENTUCKY DERBY : THE VICTORY THAT WASN'T : Dancer's Image, Who Finished First, Was Disqualified After Positive Test for Illegal Medication". Los Angeles Times . 1988-05-01. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
↑ "May 20, 1968 Issue". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 5, 2019.
↑ Tower, Whitney (May 20, 1968). "It Was a Bitter Pill". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 5, 2019– via si.com/vault.
↑ Maese, Rick (May 3, 2018). "Dancer's Image, drugs and MLK: The enduring mystery of the 1968 Kentucky Derby". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 15, 2021.

External links

1968 Kentucky Derby via YouTube

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[note1-1] 1 2 3 Dancer's Image was initially declared the winner of the race with Forward Pass coming in second but was later disqualified due to prohibited drugs being found in his system post-race making Forward Pass the winner.

[2] "1968". Kentuckyderby.com. Retrieved 2016-06-05.

[:0-3] 1 2 "THE 1968 KENTUCKY DERBY : THE VICTORY THAT WASN'T : Dancer's Image, Who Finished First, Was Disqualified After Positive Test for Illegal Medication". Los Angeles Times . 1988-05-01. Retrieved 2016-06-05.

[4] "May 20, 1968 Issue". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 5, 2019.

[5] Tower, Whitney (May 20, 1968). "It Was a Bitter Pill". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved May 5, 2019– via si.com/vault.

[6] Maese, Rick (May 3, 2018). "Dancer's Image, drugs and MLK: The enduring mystery of the 1968 Kentucky Derby". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 15, 2021.

[note 1]

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