Mystik Dan wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose

On May 4, 2024By Vaseline

In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by just a horse’s nostril over Sierra Leone.

The contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race at odds of 18-1 – a long shot compared to favorite Fierceness at odds of 3-1.

Behind Sierra Leone, Forever Young came third.

The weather behaved itself on Saturday during the 150th edition of the race. The longest-running sporting event in the US was held after changes in efforts to clean up the sport.

Multiple scandals have plagued the horse racing industry in recent years, including a sudden increase in horse deaths and doping allegations. In 2020, more than twenty people were charged with racehorse doping. Last year, Churchill Downs received more attention after 12 horses died on the track within a month.

About a year later, multiple studies have found no pattern linking these deaths, member station Louisville Public Media reported.

The sport is generally dangerous for horses. According to the Jockey Club, 336 horses died last year from racing-related injuries.

In response to allegations of doping and abuse, Congress in 2021 approved the creation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which aims to establish national standards to regulate the sport.

The federal agency has put new anti-doping rules into effect at Churchill Downs this year. HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus told LPM this week that the horses have been tested repeatedly.

“If they compete in the Derby, it means they haven’t had a problem with our program,” she said.