Kentucky Derby 2024: History of photo finishes after Mystik Dan's nail-biting victory
The 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs was one of the most thrilling in the race’s hallowed and lengthy history, with Mystik Dan holding off a late charge from the outside to edge out Sierra Leone by a nose, with third-place finisher Forever Young only a nose behind Sierra Leone.
If it seemed unusually close, it’s because it was.
The three-horse photo finish was the first at the Derby since 1947, when Jet Pilot got past Phalanx and Faultless.
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It was the first Derby decided by a body part, rather than a length or a fraction of a length, in 25 years. In the history of the Derby, it’s an uncommonly long gap between tight finishes as there had been 19 previous instances of a race coming down to the length of a head, neck or nose.
Here’s a look at some of the closest finishes in Kentucky Derby history since the first iteration of the race in 1875:
Closest finishes in Kentucky Derby history
Including Mystik Dan, there have been 10 Derby winners whose victory came by just a nose, with Saturday marking the first instance of a by-a-nose champion since 1996.
Here are the previous times it has occurred, in chronological order:
Spokane, 1889
While setting a record time for the Derby when it was a 1 ½ mile race, Spokane became the first and only Montana-bred horse to win the Derby by besting second-place Proctor Knott. Spokane’s victory came in the year its home state was admitted to the Union.
Azra, 1892
In a race featuring just three horses, Azra defeated second-place Huron, with third-place Phil Dwyer finishing six lengths behind, but still pocketing $150.
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Ben Brush, 1896
In what was the first Derby held at its customary distance of 1 ¼ miles, Ben Brush edged out another Ben, Ben Eder, to set what was then the record time for the Derby (unsurprising given the shorter length of the race).
Plaudit, 1898
Plaudit emerged as the victor in a four-horse field, crossing the finish line just before Lieber Karl.
Alan-a-Dale, 1902
On the first-ever Saturday Derby – the previous iterations of the race took place on weekdays – Alan-a-Dale got past Inventor.
Brokers Tip, 1933
Brokers Tip came from behind to edge out Head Play for the victory, with the two horses running side by side down the stretch while the two jockeys – Don Meade on Brokers Tip and Herb Fisher on Head Play – were seen hitting each other with their whips.
The action didn’t end on the track. In the jockey’s quarters at Churchill Downs, Meade and Fisher got into a fight, with John Herchenroeder of The Courier-Journal chronicling the fracas as such:
"Hardly had (Meade) stepped through the door into the second-floor dressing room when Herb Fisher, rider of Head Play in that stirring duel, went at him with both fists flaying the air. He was crying and almost incoherent as he lunged madly at Meade.
"Fisher, who already had removed his shirt preparatory to taking a shower, managed to get one arm around Meade’s neck, almost throwing him to the floor. He was pulled back but broke away and rained wild blows on the persons who were trying to restrain him."
It was the only victory of Brokers Tip’s career, though Fisher argued that the horse should have been disqualified.
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Iron Liege, 1957
Though it didn’t end in fisticuffs, Iron Liege’s victory marked another one of the more memorable moments in Derby history.
Willie Shoemaker, the jockey aboard second-place Gallant Man, admitted to stewards after the race that he pulled up his horse and briefly stood up in the saddle in the stretch at the 16th pole, mistaking it for the finish line and haltering his horse’s momentum in a tightly contested race. Ultimately, that momentary lapse decided a race that featured three future Hall of Fame horses, including Gallant Man himself.
“It undoubtedly cost him the race,” presiding steward Lincoln Plaut said after the race.
Tomy Lee, 1959
If there was redemption to be had for Shoemaker, he got it just two years later.
Riding English-bred horse Tomy Lee, Shoemaker won what was described by The Courier-Journal as a “bumping, battling finish” with Sword Dancer, which it defeated “by the skin of his nose.” Sword Dancer jockey Bill Boland filed what was believed to be the first foul claim in Derby history, believing Tomy Lee had hit his horse “four or five times,” but after a 17-minute review, the stewards upheld the decision and Tomy Lee won.
Interestingly, Shoemaker had ridden Sword Dancer to victory one week earlier at the Stepping Stone Purse at Churchill Downs and could have ridden him in the Derby, but opted instead for Tomy Lee.
Grindstone, 1996
The sire of 1990 Derby winner Unbridled, Grindstone eked out the win after eventual second-place finisher Cavonnier took the lead with an eighth of a mile remaining. The Kentucky-bred colt was named the champion after placing judges spent five minutes determining whose snout crossed the finish line first.
The victory was legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ sixth in a row in Triple Crown races, making him the first person to ever accomplish the feat. The streak was snapped two weeks later when Louis Quatorze, trained by Nick Zito, finished first in the Preakness Stakes.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2024: Where does Mystik Dan's win fit in closest Derby finishes?
