Kentucky Derby 2024 live updates: Mystik Dan edges Sierra Leone to win first leg of Triple Crown

Posted by Admin May 4, 2024 Horse Racing

The most exciting two minutes in sports is here as the Kentucky Derby celebrates the 150th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

The first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is the premier event during a day that includes 14 races and plenty of fanfare, including outrageous hats, tasty mint juleps and celebrities galore.

The current favorites among this year’s 20-horse field are Sierra Leone and Fierceness, which is jockeyed by three-time Kentucky Derby winner John Velazquez. Both horses are Kentucky natives.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest from Churchill Downs. Follow along:

Trainer Kenny McPeek had the winning horse in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks and then Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. No trainer has accomplished the feat since Ben Jones in 1952.

“Just brilliant jockey and ride,” McPeek said on the NBC broadcast immediately after the race. “The draw helped us from the beginning; we talked about that. I was shocked Dornach broke bad.

“But (jockey) Brian (Hernandez Jr.) is amazing, probably one of the most underrated riders in racing. Not anymore.”

Hernandez won the Oaks on Thorpedo Anna on Friday at Churchill Downs before guiding Mystik Dan to the photo-finish win.

“That was the longest few minutes I’ve ever felt in my life,” he said on NBC immediately after the race. “It was exciting when we hit the line, but I wasn’t sure if we won, it was quite a rush to sit there and wait for it.”

Here are the Kentucky Derby winners over the years, with the winning horse and the winning time in parentheses. Eventual Triple Crown winners are in bold.

2024 — Mystik Dan

2023 – Mage (2:01.57)

2022 – Rich Strike (2:02.61)

2021 – Mandaloun (2:01.36)

2020 – Authentic (2:00.61)

2019 – Country House (2:03.93)

2018 – Justify (2:04:20)

2017 – Always Dreaming (2:03.59)

2016 – Nyquist (2:01.31)

2015 – American Pharoah (2:03.02)

2014 – California Chrome (2:03.66)

2013 – Orb (2:02.89)

2012 – I’ll Have Another (2:01.83)

2011 – Animal Kingdom (2:02.04)

2010 – Super Saver (2:04.45)

2009 – Mine That Bird (2:02.66)

2008 – Big Brown (2:01.82)

2007 – Street Sense (2:02.17)

2006 – Barbaro (2:01.36)

2005 – Giacomo (2:02.75)

2004 – Smarty Jones (2:04.06)

2003 – Funny Cide (2:01.19)

2002 – War Emblem (2:01.13)

2001 – Monarchos (1:59.97)

2000 – Fusaichi Pegasus (2:01.00)

… and it’s Mystik Dan, at 18-1 odds, who barely crosses the finish line ahead of Sierra Leone the winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

And they’re off …

The Triple Crown refers to the three major races in American Thoroughbred horse racing. It consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. A horse that finishes first in all three races in the same year is said to have won the Triple Crown.

Post time for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 4.

Lexington Stakes winner Encino was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby due to a soft tissue strain in his right leg, according to trainer Brad Cox.

Cox said the colt didn’t look right after training on Tuesday and was taken to a hospital in Lexington where X-rays revealed the diagnosis.

With Encino out of the race, Epic Ride will draw in from the also-eligible list and take the No. 20 spot in the starting gate. — Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal

When it’s race day, Churchill Downs is one of the most packed venues in sports. The venue hosts around 165,000 people for the Kentucky Derby, a majority of which are in the grandstands of the race track.

Odds as of 6:39 p.m. ET

Fierceness, 3-1
Sierra Leone, 9/2
Forever Young, 6-1
Catching Freedom, 8-1
Just a Touch, 11-1
Honor Marie, 14-1
Mystik Dan, 18-1
Just Steel, 21-1
Dornoch, 22-1
West Saratoga, 22-1
Domestic Product, 28-1
Resilience, 31-1
Catalytic, 34-1
Stronghold, 35-1
Track Phantom, 40-1
Epic Ride, 46-1
T O Password, 47-1
Endlessly, 47-1
Society Man, 47-1
Grand Mo The First, 48-1

Kentucky Derby TV coverage

The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live on NBC, with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Kentucky Derby live stream

For cord-cutters, the Kentucky Derby can be streamed on Peacock and Fubo.

Kentucky Derby field, odds

Post positions were drawn Saturday for the race. Here’s where each horse will start, in addition to the horse’s trainer, jockey and odds, according to BetMGM.

Here’s where each horse landed, in addition to the horse’s trainer, jockey and odds:

1. Dornoch, Danny Gargan, Luis Saez, 20-1
2. Sierra Leone, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione, 3-1
3. Mystik Dan, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1
4. Catching Freedom, Brad Cox, Flavien Prat, 8-1
5. Catalytic, Saffie Joseph Jr., José Ortiz, 30-1
6. Just Steel, D. Wayne Lukas, Keith Asmussen, 20-1
7. Honor Marie, Whit Beckman, Ben Curtis, 20-1
8. Just a Touch, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 10-1
9. T O Password, Daisuke Takayanagi, Kazushi Kimura, 30-1
10. Forever Young, Yoshito Yahagi, Ryusei Sakai, 10-1
11. Track Phantom, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 20-1
12. West Saratoga, Larry Demeritte, Jesús Castañón, 50-1
13. Endlessly, Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli, 30-1
14. Domestic Product, Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr., 30-1
15. Grand Mo the First, Victor Barboza Jr., Emisael Jaramillo, 50-1
16. Fierceness, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 5-2
17. Stronghold, Phil D’Amato, Antonio Fresu, 20-1
18. Resilience, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 20-1
19. Society Man, Danny Gargan, Frankie Dettori, 50-1
20. Epic Ride, John Ennis, Adam Beschizza, 30-1

Epic Ride replaces Encino, which was officially scratched Tuesday. Mugatu is also eligible if another competitor scratches.

Our friends at the Louisville Courier Journal have on the ground updates from historic Churchill Downs.

There were a reported 156,710 people at Churchill Downs Saturday for the 150th Kentucky Derby.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is at Churchill Downs and we heard straight from the horse’s mouth. The official X page for the Kentucky Derby shared a photo of Rodgers blending in with a crowd of patrons.

Earlier in the day, Rodgers said he’s interested in becoming an owner. When asked what he would name his horse, the QB offered up the name of his former Packers teammate, center Corey Linsley. “That boy’s got stamina,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers isn’t the only football player in the building. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce took in the festivities at Churchill Downs on Saturday afternoon. — Cydney Henderson

Churchill Downs in located in Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1875 and has hosted the Kentucky Derby ever since.

Churchill Downs occupies 147 acres and it features a one-mile dirt, oval racetrack and a seven-furlong turf racecourse. It is also has barns behind the racetrack, which “house more than 1,400 horses each year,” according to the facility.

The Kentucky Derby is labeled “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” because it usually lasts about two minutes. In distance, the race is 1 ¼ miles long.

Results of the first race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Pure Force (trainer: Brad Cox)
2nd place: Top Gun Rocket
3rd place: Culprit

Results of the second race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Scylla (trainer: William Mott)
2nd place: Secret Statement
3rd place: Joke Sisi (CHI)

Results of the third race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Mindframe (trainer: Todd Pletcher)
2nd place: Cornishman
3rd place: Higgins Boat

Saturday’s forecast for Louisville calls for a high of 82 degrees with partly sunny skies, but scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to join the party, according to the National Weather Service. There’s a 40% probability of precipitation, mainly between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET, but it should be all clear by the 6:57 p.m. ET post time.

Results of the fourth race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Strong Quality (trainer: Mark Casse)
2nd place: Kupuna
3rd place: Five Star General

The available seating options to buy on Ticketmaster are infield general admission (standing room only with no track view), infield final turn general admission (standing room only with no track view), reserved seating, dining and premier dining. Frontside plaza walkaround seats are sold out. Here are the prices for each section on Ticketmaster:

NBC political journalist Steve Kornacki broke down how the favorites have fared recently in the Derby. From 2013-2018, the favorites won every year.

Here’s how the betting favorites fared in the last five years:

2023: Angel of Empire, 4-1, 3rd
2022: Epicenter, 4-1, 2nd
2021: Essential Quality, 5/2, 3rd*
2020: Tiz The Law, 3/5, 2nd
2019: Improbable, 4-1, 4th*

Note: After the disqualification of other horses, Essential Quality and Improbable’s finishes were officially recorded as 3rd and 4th place, respectively.

Results of the fifth race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Cogburn (trainer: Steven Asmussen)
2nd place: Filo Di Arianna
3rd place: Mischief Magic

Mage, who didn’t even race as a 2-year-old and had one victory in three career starts, won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with 15-1 odds.

Jace’s Road, Reincarnate, and Kingsbarns broke out early from the pack, crossing the ¼ mile at 22:35. Coming down at the ½ mile mark, Verifying set the pace at 45.73, but at the top of the stretch, Two Phil’s bolted out to the lead, but the Mage came from the outside with long strides passing Two Phil’s on inside and won by a length, crossing the finish at 2:01.57.

The day was marred by the death of two horses. Freezing Point and Chloe’s Dream were euthanized after racing earlier in the day.

Results of the sixth race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Vahva (trainer: Cherie DeVaux)
2nd place: Alva Starr
3rd place: Flying Connection

The 2024 Kentucky Derby is one of 14 races that will be held Saturday, making it one event – albeit easily the most high-profile – on a busy day at Churchill Downs.

The 2024 Kentucky Derby is the 12th race that will go off Saturday at Churchill Downs, beginning about 90 minutes after the preceding race, the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic. — Craig Meyer, USA TODAY Network

The purse for this year’s Kentucky Derby has reached a staggering $5 million, which will be divided among the top five finishers. The winner will receive the largest portion of the prize pool, amounting to $3.1 million, while the runner-up will receive $1 million. The third-place finisher will receive a prize of $500,000.

Results of the seventh race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Chili Flag (FR) (trainer: Chad Brown)
2nd place: Coppice
3rd place: Delahaye

Results of the eighth race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

1st place: Seize the Grey
2nd place: Nash
3rd place: Vlahos

Results of the ninth race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

Trikari
Formidable Man
Lagynos

Results of the 10th race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

Gun Pilot
Here Mi Song
Zozos

Results of the 11th race at Churchill Downs on Saturday:

Program Trading
Naval Power
Webslinger

On Saturday, NBC Sports and Churchill Downs announced an extension on their broadcasting partnership through 2032.

“As we celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is proud to extend the relationship with NBC Sports,” Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement. “As our media partner for the last 23 years, NBC has artfully captured the most exciting two minutes in sports and the spectacle of the senses that surrounds it.”

It’s a small sample size, but Japan-breds are 0-for-4 at the Kentucky Derby since 2019, with Master Fencer (2019) and Derma Sotogake (2023) sharing the best finishes at sixth place.

Forever Young carries Japan’s hopes this year, and many believe the undefeated colt gives the country its best chance ever in the Kentucky Derby. — Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal

NBC used its Derby Day coverage to promote another big event, the Summer Olympics in Paris.

World champion sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson appeared in a spot with Cardi B talking about the Olympics, which begin July 26. Richardson is expected to be a medal contender in the women’s 100 meters, an event she won at last summer’s world championships in Budapest. At worlds, Richardson also won gold in the women’s 4×100 relay and bronze in the 200.

Saturday she told Cardi B to come to Paris to watch her sprint for Olympic gold.

“I will come just for you … and shopping,” Cardi B said.

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