LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby produced one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history: three noses at the wire.
Mystik Dan desperately fought to hang on with two challengers coming to him in the closing strides. He did, too, after a delay of several minutes while the closest three-horse photo finish in the “Run for the Roses” since 1947 was sorted out.
That year, Jet Pilot won by a head over Phalanx, who was another head in front of Faultless. This one was much tighter.
Mystik Dan, an 18-1 shot, edged Sierra Leone by a nose, with Forever Young another nose back in third on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Sierra Leone was the most expensive horse in the race at $2.3 million.
Long shots Track Phantom and Just Steel led the field through the early going, with 3-1 favorite Fierceness just off the leaders in a three-wide run. At the top of the stretch, everything changed.