Kentucky Derby 2020: Final Results, Standings, Payouts and Replay Highlights
September 5, 2020
There will not be a Triple Crown winner this year.
While Tiz the Law was going for the second leg of the historical achievement in Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after winning the Belmont Stakes, Authentic had other ideas. The Bob Baffert-trained horse held off a fierce charge from Tiz the Law at the end, demonstrating incredible speed with the race hanging in the balance after starting from the outside gate.
According to the NBC broadcast, Baffert tied Ben Jones for the most Kentucky Derby titles with six.
Mr. Big News finished in third.
Here is a look at the complete order of finish for the 146th Kentucky Derby:
1. Authentic
2. Tiz the Law
3. Mr. Big News
4. Honor A. P.
5. Max Player
6. Storm the Court
7. Enforceable
8. Ny Traffic
9. Necker Island
10. Major Fed
11. Sole Volante
12. Winning Impression
13. Money Moves
14. Attachment Rate
15. South Bend
16. Finnick the Fierce (scratch)
17. King Guillermo (scratch)
18. Thousand Words (scratch)
Authentic's team earned plenty of money as a result of the victory, as the Kentucky Derby's website noted the purse for this year's event was $3 million. The payouts are as follows:
- First: $1.86 million
- Second: $600,000
- Third: $300,000
- Fourth: $150,000
- Fifth: $90,000
The biggest storyline entering the race was whether Tiz the Law would move one step closer to horse racing's most notable accomplishment.
After all, the Belmont Stakes victor also won the Runhappy Travers Stakes, Florida Derby, Holy Bull Stakes and Champagne Stakes and was the clear-cut favorite. He also didn't have to worry about an expanded field, as Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal reported Finnick the Fierce was scratched from the race Friday morning.
"I was not really happy how he trained this morning, and the state vet thinks he's a little off," trainer Ray Hernandez said. "We decided to scratch him and bring him home and see if there's anything we're not seeing. The main thing is playing it safe for the horse."
That was a notable loss because Finnick the Fierce was the rare horse who has experience defeating Tiz the Law. He finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last November, while Tiz the Law finished third in his only career defeat entering Saturday.
That left only 16 horses in the field since King Guillermo and Art Collector also scratched, which Frakes pointed out was the size of the field in 2003 when Funny Cide won the Derby. Funny Cide just so happened to have the same trainer (Barclay Tagg) and owner (Sackatoga Stable) as Tiz the Law.
Even the 16-horse field didn't make it to the start of the race, as Dan Wolken of USA Today reported the Baffert-trained Thousand Words—who figured to be a contender—was scratched after flipping over in the paddock prior to the race.
The stage seemed set for Tiz the Law to cruise to victory, especially when he found himself near the front of the pack heading into the final stretch.
He appeared to be on his way to overtaking Authentic on the outside, but the victor had the endurance necessary to hold off the favorite.
Next up is the Preakness on Oct. 3, when Authentic will look to parlay Saturday's performance into another high-stakes victory.