The race was won by
Mystik Dan, trained by
Ken McPeek, winning 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 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. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced that the stewards ordered, Sierra Leone's rider,
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, Sierra Leone's trainer, however, defended his jockey. Gaffalione was given a $2,500 fine for the incident.
Track condition: fast
Times: mile – 22.97; mile – 46.63; 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
Payouts The table below provides the Kentucky Derby payout schedule for a $2 stake. • $2
Exacta (3–2): $258.56 • $0.50
Trifecta (3–2–11): $556.92 • $1
Superfecta (3–2–11–4): $8,254.07 • $1 Super High Five (3–2–11–4–10): $316,920.10 == References ==