2024 Kentucky Derby

Last updated

150th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
Grade I stakes race
150th Kentucky Derby logo.svg
Location Churchill Downs
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
DateMay 4, 2024 (2024-05-04)
Distance1+1⁄4 mi (10 furlongs; 2,012 m)
Winning horse Mystik Dan
Winning time2:03.34
Final odds18:1
Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.
Trainer Kenneth G. McPeek
OwnerLance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, 4G Racing
Conditions Fast
SurfaceDirt
Attendance156,710
←  2023
2025 →

The 2024 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 150th Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. [1] The race was open to 20 horses, who qualified through the 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Contents

Mystik Dan won in a three-way photo finish, at 18:1 odds. He and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. held off late charges by Sierra Leone and Forever Young to reach the wire first by a nose. [2] [3] It was the first nose margin victory in this event since the 1996 Kentucky Derby won by Grindstone and the first three-horse photo finish in this race since the 1947 Kentucky Derby, which was won by Jet Pilot. [4] [5] One day before the Kentucky Derby, Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek teamed up with Thorpedo Anna to win the Kentucky Oaks. [3] McPeek became the first trainer since 1952 to win the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby in the same year. [4]

The race was broadcast by NBC. Coverage of undercard events began at noon EDT on USA Network before transitioning to the main NBC network for pre-race activities at 2:30 p.m. The entirety of the day was also streamed on NBC's streaming platform Peacock. FanDuel TV also provided live streaming from 10:30 a.m. to noon and from 7:30 p.m. until the festivities ended. [6]

A record $210.7 million was bet on the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Overall, a record $320.5 million was bet on the races that were run at Churchill Downs on the day of the Kentucky Derby. [7] NBC reported an average of 16.7 million viewers across its platforms and a peak audience of 20.1 million viewers, making it the most watched running of the race since 1989. [8] Prior to the race, NBC and Churchill Downs announced an extension of NBC's broadcasting rights to last through 2032. [9]

Qualification

The field was limited to twenty horses who qualify based on points earned in the 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated races that was first introduced in 2013. This point system replaced the previous graded stakes race earnings system. [10] The Main Road consists mostly of races in North America and one in Dubai, the Japan Road consists of four races in Japan, and the European Road consists of seven races in Great Britain, Ireland and France. [11] T O Password qualified via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. [11] Horses trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who is suspended from entering and racing horses at tracks owned by Churchill Downs, did not earn any qualification points. [12]

Entries

The field was drawn on April 27. Fierceness was installed as the 5-to-2 favorite and drew post number 17. [13] [14]

On April 30, Encino was scratched from the entry list after suffering a soft tissue strain, which allowed the John Ennis-trained Epic Ride to qualify from the also-eligible list. [15]

Results

The race was won by the Ken McPeek-trained Mystik Dan, who won a three-way photo finish over Sierra Leone and Japanese contender Forever Young. Mystik Dan came into the race with two wins in six starts, with his most recent victory coming in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Pre-race favorite Fierceness was among the early front runners of the race with Just Steel and Track Phantom, but Fierceness ultimately was unable to keep pace in the home stretch and dropped to a 15th-place finish. Track Phantom finished 11th and Just Steel finished 17th. Mystik Dan was brought to the rail by jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. soon after the start and sat mid-pack behind a modest pace before making his bid for the lead around the far turn when he slipped past Track Phantom. He held a short lead turning for home and drew clear by two lengths down the stretch. Sierra Leone and Forever Young closed late, but were not able to catch Mystik Dan, who held on to win the race by a nose in the race's first three-horse photo finish since the 1947 Kentucky Derby. Sierra Leone and Forever Young repeatedly bumped each other down the stretch, but neither horse's jockey claimed a foul. [5] [16] [17] [18] [19] The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced that the stewards ordered Tyler Gaffalione's presence at the race's “film review” on May 9. In the final straightaway duel, Gaffalione made multiple contacts with Forever Young with his left hand. Chad Brown, however, defended his jockey. [20] Gaffalione was given a $2,500 fine for the incident. [21]

FinishProgram

Numbers

HorseQualifying

Points

TrainerJockeyMorning
Line Odds		Final Odds Margin
(Lengths)		Winnings
13 Mystik Dan 46 Kenneth G. McPeek Brian Hernandez Jr. 20:118.61$3,100,000
22 Sierra Leone 155 Chad C. Brown Tyler Gaffalione 3:14.79Nose$1,000,000
311 Forever Young (JPN)100 Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai 10:17.03Head$500,000
44Catching Freedom125 Brad H. Cox Flavien Prat 8:18.471+3⁄4$250,000
510T O Password (JPN)40Daisuke TakayanagiKazushi Kimura30:148.206+1⁄2$150,000
619Resilience110 William I. Mott Junior Alvarado 20:131.857+3⁄4
718 Stronghold 125Philip D'AmatoAntonio Fresu20:135.5512+3⁄4
87Honor Marie65Whitworth D. BeckmanBen Curtis20:114.9013+1⁄2
914Endlessly100Michael McCarthy Umberto Rispoli 30:148.8313+3⁄4
101 Dornoch 75Danny Gargan Luis Saez 20:122.9118
1112Track Phantom70 Steven M. Asmussen Joel Rosario 20:141.5818+1⁄2
1213West Saratoga67Larry Demeritte Jesús Castañón 50:122.9322+1⁄2
1315Domestic Product60 Chad C. Brown Irad Ortiz Jr. 30:124.1722+3⁄4
1421Epic Ride35John EnnisAdam Beschizza50:147.5723+3⁄4
1517 Fierceness 136 Todd A. Pletcher John R. Velazquez 5:23.2124+1⁄2
1620Society Man50Danny Gargan Frankie Dettori 50:147.4132+1⁄2
176Just Steel65 D. Wayne Lukas Keith Asmussen20:121.2733+3⁄4
1816Grand Mo the First40Victor Barboza Jr.Emisael Jaramillo50:149.3237
195Catalytic50Saffie Joseph Jr. José Ortiz 30:134.8240+3⁄4
208Just a Touch75 Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux 10:111.5754
scratched [15] 9Encino40 Brad H. Cox Axel Concepcion20:1
AE [lower-alpha 1] Mugatu14Jeff Engler Joseph Talamo 50:1
  1. ↑ Mugatu was second on the also-eligible list. He did not draw in to the field as there was only one scratch from the original field of 20 before race day. [22]

Track condition: fast

Times:1⁄4 mile – 22.97; 1⁄2 mile – 46.63; 3⁄4 mile – 1:11.31; mile – 1:37.46; final – 2:03.34.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (22.97) (23.66) (24.68) (26.15) (25.88)

Source: Equibase chart [18]

Payouts

The table below provides the Kentucky Derby payout schedule for a $2 stake. [18]

Program numberHorse nameWinPlaceShow
3 Mystik Dan $39.22$16.32$10.00
2 Sierra Leone —$6.54$4.64
11 Forever Young ——$5.58

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References

  1. ↑ "2024 Kentucky Derby horses, futures, odds, date: Expert who called 10 Derby-Oaks Doubles gives picks". CBSSports.com. March 24, 2024. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  2. ↑ Culpepper, Chuck (May 4, 2024). "Mystik Dan wins the Kentucky Derby in a photo finish". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Li, David K. (May 4, 2024). "Mystik Dan wins 2024 Kentucky Derby in a dramatic photo finish". NBC News . Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Frakes, Jason (May 4, 2024). "Mystik Dan wins Kentucky Derby at 18–1 odds as trainer Kenny McPeek etches name in history". Courier Journal . Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Drummond, Cameron (May 5, 2024). "How does a three-horse photo in the Kentucky Derby rank? Here are the closest finishes ever". Lexington Herald-Leader . Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Watch and Follow the 150th Kentucky Derby". kentuckyderby.com. Churchill Downs Incorporated. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Record $210.7M bet on 2024 Kentucky Derby". ESPN. May 5, 2024. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ "NBC and Peacock deliver most watched "run for the roses" since 1989, as Mystik Dan wins in thrilling photo finish in 150th Kentucky Derby". nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. May 5, 2024. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  9. ↑ "NBC and Churchill Downs extend historic partnership, Kentucky Derby to be presented on NBC and Peacock through 2032". nbcsports.com. NBC Universal. May 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ↑ "About the Road to the Kentucky Derby". Churchill Downs Incorporated. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard" (PDF). kentuckyderby.com. April 22, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ Downey, Dick (April 24, 2024). "Court of Appeals Denies Zedan Emergency Motion Order entered late April 24 upholds earlier ruling in Louisville". Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Fierceness a 5–2 morning-line favorite for 150th Kentucky Derby". espn.com. ESPN. April 27, 2024. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  14. ↑ Frakes, Jason (April 27, 2024). "Kentucky Derby post positions are set. See who's favored, odds at Churchill Downs". courier-journal.com. Louisville Courier Journal. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Grening, David (April 30, 2024). "Injury Forces Encino Out of Derby; Epic Ride In; Trainer Brad Cox said his trainee was "off after training" at Churchill Downs". Bloodhorse.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ↑ Graves, Gary (May 4, 2024). "Kentucky Derby victory aboard Mystik Dan provides signature win for jockey Brian Hernandez Jr". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  17. ↑ King, Byron (May 4, 2024). "Mystik Dan Holds off Sierra Leone to Win Kentucky Derby". The Blood-Horse. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 "2024 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve Grade 1 (race 12)" (PDF). Equibase. May 4, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby by nose in photo finish". ESPN. May 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  20. ↑ Frakes, Jason (May 7, 2024). "Sierra Leone jockey Tyler Gaffalione could face discipline for Kentucky Derby ride". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  21. ↑ Mitchell, Eric (May 10, 2024). "Gaffalione Fined for Kentucky Derby Ride". bloodhorse.com. Blood-Horse LLC. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  22. ↑ Hall, Gregory A. (May 3, 2024). "Encino, Also-Eligible Mugatu Only Early Derby Scratches". bloodhorse.com. Blood-Horse LLC. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
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