What's happened
Mystik Dan emerges victorious in the 150th Kentucky Derby, narrowly beating Sierra Leone and Forever Young in a thrilling finish. The bay colt, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., clinches the win in a photo finish, captivating the crowd of over 150,000 spectators at Churchill Downs.
What's behind the headline?
What the papers say
According to The Japan Times, Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a scintillating first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, narrowly defeating Sierra Leone and Forever Young. The Guardian reported on the heart-pounding three-horse photo finish, with Mystik Dan clinching victory in the $5 million race at Churchill Downs.
How we got here
The Kentucky Derby is America's oldest major continuing sporting event, attracting top horses, jockeys, and trainers from around the world. The 150th edition of the race featured a competitive field of three-year-old horses vying for the prestigious title and a chance to make history in the world of horse racing.
Go deeper
- What made the 150th Kentucky Derby particularly special?
- How did Mystik Dan's victory impact the world of horse racing?
- What were the reactions to Mystik Dan's win from fans and experts?
Common question
More on these topics
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The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival.
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Fierceness (foaled March 28, 2021) is a Grade 1 winning American Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2023 the two-year-old colt won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park.
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Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for annually hosting the Kentucky Derby.
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Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. is an American Eclipse Award-winning jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in 2003 and got his first win on November 29 of that year at Louisiana's Delta Downs.
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The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies.
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Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, informally Salone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea to the northeast.
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Aidan Patrick O'Brien is an Irish horse racing trainer. Since 1996, he has been the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables near Rosegreenin County Tipperary for John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates.
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Zac Purton is a horse racing jockey. He won the Brisbane jockeys' premiership as an apprentice in 2003, moved to Sydney and was quickly amongst the top jockeys there before he began his Hong Kong career in 2007/08.
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Japan is an island country of East Asia in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.
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Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People's Republic of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea.