-
David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
The 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday featured a photo finish and record betting interest.
According to Churchill Downs, $210.7 million was wagered on Mystik Dan’s win of the Kentucky Derby, besting by $20 million the previous betting record set last year.
Mystik Dan went off as an 18-1 underdog and held off Sierra Leone and Forever Young in what was the closest finish in the Kentucky Derby since 1947, according to the track.
Overall betting on the Kentucky Derby Day card soared to a record $320.5 million, beating last year’s record of $288.7 million. Additionally, TwinSpires, an online racebook and official betting partner of the Kentucky Derby, took a record $92.1 million in wagering on Saturday’s races at Churchill Downs.
The 20-horse field included two entries from Japan: third-place-finisher Forever Young and T.O. Password running fifth. Churchill Downs reported $10.1 million was bet on the Kentucky Derby from Japan, eclipsing the previous record of $8.3 million in 2022.