By Joe Quillen
Mystik Dan Wins Kentucky Derby
Mystik Dan had a perfect stalking trip at Churchill Downs Saturday evening along the rail to assume the lead at the top of the stretch and held off fast closing Sierra Leone and Forever Young to win an historic and memorable 150th renewal of the Kentucky Derby under the Twin Spirts of Churchill Downs to win the first leg of the 2024 Triple Crown.
Mystik Dan, the son of Goldencents out of the Colonel John mare Ma’am, patiently sat behind the dueling trio of Track Phantom, Just Steel and the favored Fierceness who blazed through an opening quarter mile of 22.97 seconds and a half mile in 46.63 seconds.
After the field reached the quarter pole (with a quarter mile to go) in 1:37.46, Mystik Dan had a daylight lead over tiring horses he had passed as they turned for home. But he would have two fresh challengers breathing down his neck.
Sierra Leone and Forever Young traded significant and noticeable bumps at the 3/16 pole that somehow did not lead to an objection or inquiry, especially with the dramatic finish that was unfolding before the eyes of almost 157,000 people in attendance on a day that turned out to be a dry and comfortable day.
After examining a win photo for 4 minutes which for some seemed like four hours or four days, Mystik Dan was declared the unofficial winner before becoming official shortly thereafter. Sierra Leone closed from the back of the Pack to nose out Forever Young, the best Japanese-bred finisher in Kentucky Derby history, for the runner-up position.
Catching Freedom closed from 13th on the backstretch to finish fourth, while the other Japanese-bred horse T O Password closed from 18th to finish fifth to round out the super high five. The favored Fierceness faded at the top of the stretch and finished 15th. Track Phantom finished 11th.
Mystik Dan earned his backers $39.22 to win and headed an exacta that paid $258.56. The owners of Mystik Danearned the $3.1 million winner’s share of the record $5 million purse.
More history was made underneath the Twin Spires. Trainer Kenny McPeak, who won the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna, became the first trainer since 1952 to sweep the Oaks and Derby. Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., who won his first Kentucky Derby, was the first jockey since 2009 to achieve the double.
Brian Hernandez, Jr. could have a similar decision to make like Calivin Borel did 15 years ago. If Thorpedo Anna is supplemented into the Triple Crown, especially to run in the Preakness, he will have a decision to ride the filly who won on Friday, or the colt that won on Saturday.
Their decision will have to be made quickly, as the eyes of the horse racing world will now focus on Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, where the second leg of the Triple Crown in the 2024 Preakness will be held on Saturday, May 18. The final leg, moved to Saratoga due to the ongoing reconstruction of Belmont Park, will be shortened Belmont’s “Test of a Champion” distance of a mile and a half to today’s distance of a mile and 1/4 and run on Saturday, June 8.
Make sure you check in with us here at Bleacher Brothers as we will cover the Triple Crown as it heads to Baltimore and then to Saratoga Springs.
150th Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs Race 12 | Track Fast | Off at 7:02 pm
3 Mystik Dan 39.22 16.32 10.00
2 Sierra Leone 6.54 4.64
11 Forever Young 5.58
$2 Exacta (3-2) paid $258.56
$0.50 Trifecta (3-2-11) paid $556.92
$1 Superfecta (3-2-11-4) paid $8,254.07
$1 Super High Five (3-2-11-4-10) pad $316,920.10