LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A life-changing event that takes two minutes to complete: Every move, every decision, even every inaction matters. But it’s not just the actions, decisions and indecisions in those two minutes that matter; It was a lifetime of divisive decision-making choices that combined to create life and, on a sweltering Saturday night, history.
Telling the story of Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s historic run down the railroad tracks that enshrined the record books requires more than rewinding around Churchill Downs. These include deciding not to give up during a dinner date more than thirty years ago and searching for information on thoroughbred horses in the basement of a university library a few years ago. It took a commitment to a mare who was supposed to be retired, and it took a father to convince his son to fall in love with racing. It requires one jockey studying another rail rider, and a team of guys who compete against the big names but deliberately never care about being one of them.
In a historic 150th game, Mystik Dan put together a breathless performance to defeat No. 2 Sierra and No. 3 Forever Young for the first time since 1947 Three horses finish the race together. Won the Kentucky Derby.
It took an agonizing five minutes to get the answer, and the 156,710 spectators at the venue went from elation as the three horses approached the finish line to near-shocked silence as they waited, like jockeys, for a decision.
Finally, Mystic Dan’s name flashed up on the big board, the crowd in the stands cheered, and the forward shared the news with Hernandez. “It took about two minutes, and at the end when they said, ‘Yeah, you just won the Kentucky Derby, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that was a long two minutes. It’s the longest two minutes in sports — —From the fastest two minutes to the longest two minutes yet.
Perhaps the only one who wasn’t surprised was coach Ken McPeak. The coach from Kentucky was almost like Babe Ruth, commanding all week. When he attended a press conference on Friday to celebrate Kentucky Oaks champion Sopedo Ana, there was a suggestion that he might return the next day for another winning press conference. “Believe it,” he said. When the promise came true, McPeak celebrated on the track, tightly holding the hand of his daughter Anne.
By combining winning riding with a victory at Sopedo Ana, McPeak became the first trainer to win the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double since Ben Jones in 1952, when Hernandez He is also the first jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double since Calvin Borrell in 2009.
The matchup between Hernandez and Borrell is a good fit. In the long run, the game is more like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and considering how even the most inconsequential decisions can lead to an epic life, Hernandez said in the video, referring to Borrell. Research. Borrell was known around the track as Calvin Bo-Rail because of his love and comfort of riding along the railroad, a place many jockeys would rather avoid. When Mystik Dan drew third, Hernandez and McPeak began talking about how they could turn what many viewed as a disadvantage into an advantage. Hernandez discovered the secret while reviewing Borel’s rides.
Sharilyn Gasaway, one of Mystik Dan’s owners, holds the 150th Kentucky Derby trophy.
At this very moment, Mystik Dan ran the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.34, and the race was won due to a strong performance by Hernanedez Jr. on the horse. He followed the track phantom along the rail, and when the lead horse gave him a half-step, he squeezed Mystic Dan through the narrow space that was like a ray of light under the door frame and held on to the finish line. , won through the nose. Favorite “Fierceness” finished at No. 15.
But the game was won long before Hernandez showed film. Nearly 40 years ago, a young McPeek won the award while immersed in the University of Kentucky Agricultural Library, educating himself on bloodhorse and thoroughbred records. McPeak was brought to Keeneland by his grandfather and never did anything else but race horses. He jokes that his basement study in the agricultural library probably resulted in better grades than his normal classes, but only because of the enthusiasm it sparked.
Yet all this learning and exploration creates a kind of racehorse, the common man. He preferred to be exposed to every aspect of horse racing and to be respected as a thoroughbred agent and trainer. He even created an app for replays – Horses Now. He is a true believer in the industry and is well-liked and respected among his peers for his loyalty, integrity, and willingness to keep things simple. Horse racing is big business, and an expensive one, and the animals are often owned by corporate groups rather than individuals. McPeak purposefully tried to avoid this approach. “I think what I’m most proud of is that we didn’t do anything to the horses at Calumet Farms,” he said, citing the large breeding group in Lexington. “We did it with working-class horses.”
McPeek trained Mystik Dan’s mare Ma’am, and as she neared retirement he convinced Lance, Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway not to retire her but to breed her to 2013 Derby entrant Goldencents. Their agreement was down to the owners’ faith in McPeak, but also to their own racing roots and the little moments that led to their biggest wins as a small racehorse.
You might say that Lance Gasaway is the enigmatic Dan of college football. That said, maybe a little overlooked. A record holder and Hall of Famer, he played not at Arkansas but at Arkansas-Monticello, where he was an NAIA All-American for the Cotton Weevils. He became involved in horse racing at the urging of his father, Clint, and the two teamed up at their hometown of Oaklawn Race Course. Their most notable performance was Wells Bayou, who won the Louisiana Derby and was a target for the Kentucky Derby until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and postponed the race to September.
Clint passed away about a year ago, and as Lance sat at the podium, he choked up as he recalled his father’s impact. “To me, it’s for him,” he said. “Dad would have loved it. He loves the game. Lance chose to bring in his cousin Brent.
Thirty-five years ago, Brent wanted to date his now-wife Sharlene, but he was late. after that. Turns out he was on the track, still racing. Charlene wasn’t that excited—at least not until Brent proposed that night. When Sharlene quit her full-time job, the couple chose to pursue horse racing full-time, around the same time Clint and Lance got into racing. When Lance needed a new breeding partner and eventually took ownership of Mystic Dan, Sallylyn and Brent made perfect sense.
Lance and Sharilyn sat side by side between McPeak and Hernandez, both looking a little wide-eyed and happily dazed. Asked how they would celebrate, Lance deadpanned: “I don’t know. I’ve never won a derby before.
Neither did McPeak. But now, with a triple crown of his own – he won the 2020 Preakness with Swiss Skydiver and the 2002 Belmont with Sarqva – he at least has some clues. “I’m going back to the barn and hugging all the staff and all the family,” he said. “My house is open if anyone wants to come over.”
Mystik Dan may have won the Derby with just two minutes of action, but it took a million smaller moments to create this masterpiece.
(Photo of jockey Brian J. Hernandez Jr. aboard Mystik Dan: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
