The roar at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2024, wasn't the usual explosion of sound. It was more of a collective, confused gasp. Thousands of people squinted at the big screen, waiting for the results of the 150th Run for the Roses. It took several agonizing minutes. When the numbers finally flashed, the world found out that Mystik Dan had won the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
He didn't just win. He survived.
By the time the dust settled, only a nose separated the winner from the runner-up. And only another nose separated second from third. It was the first three-way photo finish in the Derby since 1947. Honestly, if you blinked, you missed the moment a $3.1 million paycheck was decided by less than an inch of horsehair.
The 18-1 Longshot Who Stole the Rail
Most bettors weren't looking at Mystik Dan. All the talk leading up to the race centered on Fierceness, the 3-1 favorite who looked like a monster on paper. Then there was Sierra Leone, the $2.3 million powerhouse with a devastating closing kick. Mystik Dan was just... there. An 18-1 shot that many dismissed after a third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby.
But horse racing is often decided by the "trip"—the specific path a horse takes through the chaos of a 20-horse field.
Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the race of a lifetime. He stayed glued to the rail, taking the shortest possible route around the 1 ¼ mile track. It was a gutsy move. While the rest of the field was bumping and grinding in the middle of the track, Hernandez waited for a gap. He found it when Track Phantom drifted out just enough.
Mystik Dan surged through.
The bay colt opened up a two-length lead in the stretch, and for a second, it looked like he might runaway with it. But the Churchill Downs stretch is long. It's cruel. And two monsters were coming for him.
Chaos in the Stretch: Sierra Leone and Forever Young
As Mystik Dan fought to keep his lead, Sierra Leone (the 2-horse) and the Japanese sensation Forever Young (the 11-horse) launched a ferocious attack from the outside. This is where things got messy.
If you watch the replay, you’ll see Sierra Leone and Forever Young basically leaning on each other for the final sixteenth of a mile. Sierra Leone had a habit of "lugging in"—veering toward the inside. He bumped Forever Young multiple times. At one point, jockey Tyler Gaffalione even appeared to reach out with his hand toward the Japanese horse.
The three horses hit the wire in a blurred line.
- Mystik Dan (1st)
- Sierra Leone (2nd)
- Forever Young (3rd)
The margin was so thin that the stewards spent what felt like an eternity reviewing the high-speed camera footage. In the end, they left the results as they stood. No inquiry was posted, though plenty of racing pundits on social media spent the next week arguing that Sierra Leone should have been disqualified for the bumping.
Why This Win Was Historically Weird
Kenny McPeek, the trainer behind Mystik Dan, pulled off a feat we haven't seen in over 70 years. The day before the Derby, he won the Kentucky Oaks with a filly named Thorpedo Anna. By taking the Derby the next day, he became the first trainer to sweep both races in the same weekend since Ben Jones did it in 1952.
It was a "working class" victory. Mystik Dan isn't some blue-blooded royal of the racing world. He’s a Kentucky-bred son of Goldencents, a sire with a modest $10,000 stud fee at the time. He was bred by his owners—the Gasaway family and Daniel Hamby.
Even the horse's name has a quirky back story. It’s a mashup of Dan (Hamby’s father) and Mystik Tape (the father's first business). It's the kind of underdog story that makes people fall in love with the sport all over again.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Finish
There’s a common misconception that Mystik Dan was the fastest horse that day. If you look at the closing speeds, he actually wasn't. He was slowing down. Sierra Leone and Forever Young were moving significantly faster in the final yards.
Mystik Dan won because of geometry.
By staying on the rail, Hernandez saved ground. If he had been forced even two paths wide—meaning he had to run just a few feet further—he would have lost. He literally scraped his boot against the rail to keep the horse as tight as possible. That tiny distance saved was the "nose" that won the race.
2024 Kentucky Derby Top Finishers and Payouts
If you had the guts to put $2 on Mystik Dan to win, you walked away with **$39.22**.
The full top-five finish order looked like this:
- 1st: Mystik Dan (18-1)
- 2nd: Sierra Leone (9-2)
- 3rd: Forever Young (7-1)
- 4th: Catching Freedom (8-1)
- 5th: T O Password (48-1)
Fierceness, the heavy favorite, completely faded and finished 15th. It was a brutal reminder that in a 20-horse stampede, the "best" horse rarely wins if they don't get the right trip.
The Aftermath and the "Foul" Controversy
The days following the race were filled with debate about the contact between Sierra Leone and Forever Young. Many fans felt the Japanese horse was robbed of second place (or even the win) because of the bumping.
The stewards eventually fined Tyler Gaffalione $2,500 for his "touching" of the other horse, but they didn't change the order of finish. In the world of horse racing, unless the interference clearly costs a horse a better placing, stewards are often hesitant to take down a number in a race as prestigious as the Derby.
Japan's search for a Derby win continues, but Forever Young's third-place finish was the best showing ever by a Japanese horse in the race's 150-year history.
What to Do With This Info
If you’re looking to bet on future races or just want to understand the sport better, there are a few "Mystik Dan" lessons to keep in mind.
First, pay attention to the jockey. Brian Hernandez Jr. isn't a "superstar" name like Irad Ortiz Jr., but he knows the Churchill Downs surface better than almost anyone. He’s a "rail skinner." In a crowded field, a jockey who isn't afraid to stay inside is gold.
Second, ignore the hype on favorites. Fierceness was a great horse, but his running style required a clean trip. In a 20-horse field, you almost never get a clean trip. Look for horses with "tactical speed"—the ability to sit just behind the leaders and pounce.
👉 See also: Tabla de eliminatorias CONMEBOL: Why the Race for 2026 is Getting Weird
Lastly, watch the replays for "troubled trips." Sierra Leone ran a monster race despite his antics. A horse that finishes second or third after getting bumped or running wide is often the one to bet on in their next start. Mystik Dan proved that a perfect trip can beat a "better" horse any day of the week.
To truly understand the 2024 Kentucky Derby, you have to look past the rose garland. It was a race of inches, controversial bumps, and a trainer who dared to believe his "working class" horse could beat the giants. And for one Saturday in May, he did exactly that.