Sierra Leone, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, (2), Forever Young, with jockey Ryusei Sakai, and Mystik Dan, with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., cross the finish line at Churchill Downs during the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, in Louisville, Ky.
Kiichiro Sato/AP
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Kiichiro Sato/AP
Sierra Leone, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, (2), Forever Young, with jockey Ryusei Sakai, and Mystik Dan, with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., cross the finish line at Churchill Downs during the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, in Louisville, Ky.
Kiichiro Sato/AP
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse’s nose over Sierra Leone.
The contestants waited anxiously for a few seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred horse went into the race with odds of 18-1 – a distant result compared to favorite Fierceness at 3-1 odds.
Mystik Dan trainer Ken McPeek on Saturday became the first trainer since 1952 to win the Kentucky Oaks and Derby in the same year, according to the NBC broadcast. It was jockey Brian Hernandez’s first Derby win. The duo had won the Oaks the day before with the filly Thorpedo Anna on a muddy track.
McPeek praised the jockey for his victory.
“Brian is amazing” he told NBC Sports during the post-race broadcast, “probably one of the most underrated drivers in racing – but not anymore, right?”
For Hernandez, winning the Derby is a dream he has had since he was 6 years old.
“This is a lifetime achievement” he say. “To be able to fulfill that dream – when I was a 6-year-old kid riding my bike around my grandparents’ farm and telling them all I was going to the Kentucky Derby one day – and we here.”
After Sierra Leone, Forever Young ranked third.
The weather was good on Saturday for the 150th race. The longest-running sporting event in America was held after changes aimed at cleaning up the sport.
Many scandals have plagued the horse racing industry in recent years, including a sudden increase in horse deaths and doping allegations. In 2020, More than two dozen people have been indicted in a racehorse doping scheme. Last year, Churchill Downs attracted increasing scrutiny after 12 horses died at the track within a month.
About a year later, multiple investigations found no connection between those deaths, reports member station Louisville Public Media.
The sport in general is very dangerous for horses. Last year, 336 horses died from racing-related injuries, according to statistics. Horse racing club.
In response to allegations of doping and abuse, Congress in 2021 approved the creation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authorityaims to establish national standards for governing the sport.
The federal agency put new anti-doping regulations into effect at Churchill Downs this year. HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus told LPM this week that the horses were tested multiple times.
“If they participate in the Derby, it means they don’t have any problems with our program,” she said.
