Saturday’s Kentucky Derby was one of the closest finishes in recent memory, and perhaps of any Triple Crown race ever.
18-1 underdog Mystik Dan managed to hold off Sierra Leone by a literal nose, with Forever Young in third. Remarkably, the top three horses could barely be separated, and the official announcement of a winner was delayed by over ten minutes as officials looked at every angle in a literal photo finish.
🐎 Most thrilling #KentuckyDerby in years. A nail-biting photo finish!
Congratulations to Mystik Dan and his team! Spectacular! https://t.co/HFPC4bmsRR
— Gregory T. Angelo (@gregorytangelo) May 4, 2024
Well this is gonna be fun to determine pic.twitter.com/Rhr6PVTVnX
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) May 4, 2024
The actual teletimer finish showed just how close the race was. Mystik Dan eked it out by a literal nose, and Sierra Leone was just as close to Forever Young to seize second.
What a photo! #KentuckyDerby pic.twitter.com/c2bZUkMhdS
— Jason Beem (@BeemieAwards) May 4, 2024
The finish was unquestionably one of the closest in Kentucky Derby history. It is also the most memorable since 2019, which saw the initial winner disqualified after the race. That appears unlikely this time, thankfully, since the nose-to-nose finish was exhilarating to watch.
