Dirt and track surface upgrade to good (2024)

Mystik Dan is your winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby, winning in a photo finish by a hair over Sierra Leone and Forever Young. Mystik Dan entered the race with with 18-1 odds.

The underdog made up ground in the second half after the pack got off to a hot start with early leaders Fierceness and Track Phantom taking the pack through first half of the race in 46.63. The finishing order is 3-2-11-4.

Mystik Dan’s trainer Ken McPeek becomes the first trainer since 1952 to win the Oaks and Derby in the same year.

Both the dirt and turf surfaces have been upgraded to good here at Churchill Downs. The sun is baking with a decent amount of humdity here with the high expected to be around 80.

The American flag is currently whipping next to the odds board for the first time in my two days here.

There's a decent chance the track could be upgraded to fast by the time the Derby starts near 7 p.m. ET.

A scattering of clouds continues to dot the Louisville sky five hours out from race time, but the forecast has grown increasingly cooperative on Derby Day. Current temperatures are hovering around 75 degrees and are expected to rise slightly over the next few hours.

The threat for thunderstorms starting at 5 p.m. is lingering, but if the showers hold off then the track should remain in good condition after a dry start to the day.

We're about 15 minutes away from the seventh race on today's racing card and its largely been a day of chalk so far. The Derby is the 12th race on today's card.

The biggest upset so far came in race No. 5 where Cogburn, who was 8-1, won that Turf Sprint.

Another quick observation is that the dirt track is quickly drying out as the sun bakes down on Churchill Downs. It should be a good track for the rest of the day unless there's another shower that pops up.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs’ running back, is getting a warm welcome from the crowd on the Churchill Downs red carpet. The Athletic asked him about his diamond-encrusted Tasmanian Devil pendant: “This is a pendant that represents me, the Tasmanian devil. It’s the way I run on the field, pop right back up when I’m on the ground. This is me, that’s my trademark.”

About next season he says, “I’m just taking it play by play, the key is being unsatisfied… The goal is a three-peat.”

Jockey: Keith Asmussen

Trainer: Wayne Lukas

Birthplace: Kentucky

A $500,000 yearling purchase by the 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Just Steel represents 88-year-old Lukas’s chance to win a fifth Kentucky Derby, and first since 1999. With 11 races on his résumé, he’s run more than any other horse in the field (and nearly four times as many races as the horse to his hinside), with seven top-three finishes. Winless this year with three runner-up performances, he’s not done his best running on a wet track; consider using him underneath if it’s muddy.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The best thing I saw in the Kentucky Derby shop is these different socks.

There's the classic mint julep, a set of bowties themed with jockey silks and a hat set of socks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reed Sheppard talks to The Athletic on the red carpet at Churchill Downs about his love for Louisville and emotions headed to the NBA Draft:

“The fans, the school, the state, it’s really really hard to leave. That’s how much I’ve looked up to Kentucky.”

The 2024 Kentucky Derby will be the 150th running of the annual horse race in Louisville, Ky. Celebrities, famous athletes and horse racing enthusiasts will descend on Churchill Downs for the annual Run for the Roses.

The field is limited to 20 horses each year, and they qualify for the race through a series of point races. Only horses that are three years old are eligible to race in the Kentucky Derby, and it is open to both male and female horses.

The race is 1 1/4 miles long. Secretariat set the Kentucky Derby record in 1973 with a race time of 1:59 2/5. That record was set 50 years ago and still stands today. The race is commonly referred to as “the fastest two minutes in sports” (with variations also crowning it “the greatest two minutes” and “the most exciting two minutes”).

Saturday's weather forecast calls for a high of 79 with scattered showers.

The post-time for the 150th Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. ET. The Kentucky Derby isn’t the only race on Derby Day at Churchill Downs — more than 10 races will be held starting at 10 a.m.

How to watch: Television coverage for the 2024 Kentucky Derby starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. All coverage can also be streamed on Peaco*ck.

Required reading

• What makes Churchill Downs so special? The quirks, traditions of the Kentucky Derby’s home
• Kentucky Derby 2024 picks: The six factors that past winners have in common
• West Saratoga is a Kentucky Derby long shot. But so was his trainer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lisa Leslie has arrived on the red carpet at Churchill Downs! Asked about the “Caitlin Clark effect,” Leslie said she feels like the honorary basketball mom.

“I send messages to the ladies all the time. I support everything they do on the court. It’s so exciting to see the momentum.”

Jockey: Jesus Castanon

Trainer: Larry Demeritte

Birthplace: Kentucky

Once ubiquitous on the backstretches of U.S. racetracks, Black people have rarely gotten a spotlight in thoroughbred racing this century. Demeritte is only the third Black trainer in nearly 75 years to run a horse in the Derby, and should West Saratoga prevail on Saturday, it will be a victory for small trainers and trainers of color, both of which are far too often overlooked. Unfortunately, Demeritte is up against it: his horse, which cost $11,000, has never won in the mud, and he’s seldom faced competition at this level. Still, he’s been competitive in nearly all of his races, though he does seem to have a case of “seconditis.” Not putting on top, but intriguing underneath.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Beyoncé Effect is here. Cowboy hats and boots are dotted everywhere in the crowd here at Churchill Downs.

I asked Charles Davis (pictured here) what inspired his outfit when it caught my eye. "I'd have to say 'Cowboy Carter,'" he said with a smile.