BREAKING NEWS: Bob Baffert's Authentic defeats favorite Tiz the Law to WIN the 146th Kentucky Derby in front of mostly empty stands at Churchill Downs in Triple Crown's strangest year ever
Authentic has staved off a late charge from favorite Tiz the Law for a wire-to-wire win the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby.
The victory for legendary trainer Bob Baffert's Authentic eliminates the possibility of a Triple Crown victory for Tiz the Law, which won the Belmont Stakes in a commanding performance in June.
The Kentucky Derby, traditionally the first race in the Triple Crown, ran four months later than usual, and without paying spectators at Churchill Downs in Louisville, due to precautions taken in the coronavirus pandemic.
Tiz the Law had been the heavy favorite at 3/5 odds, while Authentic was at 8 to 1.
Authentic ridden by jockey John Velazquez runs down the stretch to win the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, defeating a late charge from favorite Tiz the Law
Authentic gallops to the finish line to win the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday
Jockey John Velazquez, aboard Authentic, celebrates with trainer Bob Baffert after winning the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday
Jockey John Velazquez celebrates after winning the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby on Authentic
Authentic, with jockey John Velazquez up, broke fast from the gate on the outside to lead by the first turn.
He didn't let up despite pursuit from NY Traffic and Storm The Court, with Tiz the Law giving chase by the far turn.
Tiz the Law was nearly neck-and-neck coming out of the far turn into the homestretch.
Coming down the homestretch, hard-charging Authentic refused to be beaten, pulling ahead to win by barely one length.
It is Baffert's sixth Kentucky Derby win.
Authentic covered 1¼ mile in 2:00.61 and paid $18.80 to win, $6 to place and $5 to show.
Tiz the Law returned $3.40 to place and $3.20 to show, while Mr. Big News, a 50-1 longshot who came in third, paid $16.80 to show.
The Derby was run even as armed Black Lives Matter militias marched around the gates surrounding Churchill Downs, chanting Breonna Taylor's name and demanding that the famed race be cancelled.
Louisville Metro Police officers line the street as members and supporters of an all-Black militia group called NFAC hold an armed rally outside Churchill Downs on the day of the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky
Members of the NFAC, a black militia, march to Churchill Downs racetrack before the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby
The protesters marched two miles from a city park and circled the track on the front and back sides. They chanted 'No Justice, No Derby!' and carried signs imploring people to say Taylor's name
Protests have occurred for 101 days in Louisville, with calls for police to be charged in Taylor's shooting death during a botched narcotics raid on March 13. A recent demonstration near the historic track resulted in 64 arrests, and more protests were expected around the venue.
The protesters marched two miles from a city park and circled the track on the front and back sides. They chanted 'No Justice, No Derby!' and carried signs imploring people to say Taylor's name.
'What are we celebrating?' one of the organizers, Brittany Wiley, told the crowd as it gathered. 'We don´t want mint juleps. We want justice. We're not partying. We're protesting. No justice? No Derby.'
Inside the gate, police in riot gear with clubs - some on horses and some with armored military vehicles - were following along with the protesters from the inside.
Developing story, check back for updates.