They ran the Kentucky Derby Saturday, and I missed it. Weird. I usually watch the Derby, but this year I never gave “first Saturday in May” a thought until I received a news update saying who won. As always, a sports event happens whether I’m aware of it or not!

I wished I had seen it live. It was the 150th running, the longest continuously running (no pun intended) sports event in the same venue – every year beginning in 1875, through two world wars and a depression. And it was a photo finish – there have been only 10 of those – and this one was 3-way:

Here’s the official photo: Mystik Dan wins by the proverbial nose (yellow arrows on his nose at the finish line and his jockey in the green hat). The #2 horse on the outside, Sierra Leone, is inches behind (blue arrow). And there’s a third horse in there! You can see part of his jockey in red (red arrow), a “head” behind #2. Mystik Dan had taken the lead on the final stretch, and the other two horses were trying to catch him. You can see the race here.

So many lessons:

• As always, a few horses start out fast and fail. The favored horse, Fierceness, got off to a good start and finished 15th out of 20 horses.
• Mystik Dan, the winner, was the 7th favored horse. Shows that perceptions don’t mean much.
• The horse that finished second, was also the second favorite horse, and the most expensive.
• The winning horse was bred in Arkansas. Arkansas? Can anything good come out of Arkansas?

The winning owners are cousins Lance and Brent Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas. They bred Mystik Dan. “We’ve done it with what I call a working-class horse,” McPeek said. “His mother is a filly who raced hard, but wasn’t well known. His father wasn’t a big name, either.” Sharilyn Gasaway, Brent’s wife, said, “It is surreal for sure. We feel like we’re just ordinary people and we’ve got an amazing horse. – From ESPN

And, of course, it’s a huge opportunity for gambling, and you don’t even have to be at the track. You can lose money from the comfort of your den. Lose? You bet (also, no pun intended!):

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race itself was a record of $210.7 million, beating the previous mark of $188.7 million set in 2023.

Any money that a bettor wins comes from multiple bettors who lost, minus the cut that the booking agent takes. Glamorous when it’s the Kentucky Derby, but still a lot of money lost. I’m thankful that I can find excitement in sporting events, even when watching the replay, without having any money at risk.

Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. (Job 39.19 – 21, ESV)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21.31, ESV)

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147.10, 11, ESV)