Watch: 150th Kentucky Derby ends in thrilling photo finish

Mystik Dan ekes out a photo-finish win at the 150th Kentucky Derby Matt Stone//Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: 150th Kentucky Derby ends in three-horse photo finish

By Adam Gretz | Last updated May 6, 2024 11:48 AM ET

Mystik Dan was the winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday evening, doing so in one of the closest margins in the history of the race.

It came down to a photo finish involving a trio of horses, Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Forever Young.

Here is a look at the finish with Mystik Dan just barely holding off the other two horses.

WOW.

Mystik Dan WINS the 150th Kentucky Derby in a PHOTO FINISH! pic.twitter.com/N2jfd2TsKe
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 4, 2024

Mystik Dan went into the race as an 18-1 shot to win and needed a furious charge down the stretch, right along the rail, to get the win by literal inches.

At the wire! Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby. pic.twitter.com/2aiutu2mWz
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 4, 2024

It could not get any closer than that and the fact the photo finish involved three different horses made it even more intense.

There was also an element of history to this for Mystik Dan's trainer, Kenny McPeek. Not only was it his first win at the Derby as a trainer, McPeek became the first trainer since 1952 – and just the fourth ever – to sweep both the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. His horse Thorpedo Anna won the Oaks on Friday.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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