1978 Kentucky Derby
| Kentucky Derby | |
| Location |
Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Date | May 6, 1978 |
| Winning horse | Affirmed |
| Jockey | Steve Cauthen |
| Surface | Dirt |
|
← 1977 1979 → | |
The 1978 Kentucky Derby was the 104th running of the Kentucky Derby.[1] Affirmed, under jockey Steve Cauthen, won the race by 1 1/2 lengths over Alydar.[2][3] Believe It finished 3rd, 1 1/4 lengths behind Alydar, and 30-1 longshot Darby Creek Road finished 4th.[4][5] Affirmed would go on to win the Triple Crown by defeating Alydar by decreasing margins in the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.[2]
11 horses competed in the race.[2] Alydar went into the race as a 6-5 favorite, despite Affirmed having won 4 of the 6 previous races between the two.[2] Affirmed went off at 9-5.[2] Sensitive Prince and Believe It were the only other horses to go off at less than 30-1, at 9-2 and 7-1 respectively.[4] Sensitive Prince and Affirmed, both frontrunners, were near the lead early in the race behind long shot Raymond Earl.[4] Sensitive Prince took the lead at the first turn, but Affirmed gained the lead at the second turn.[1] After attaining the lead, Affirmed held it for the remained of the race except for a brief moment when Believe It led by a head.[1][5] Alydar charged from the outside down the stretch, and overtook Believe It, despite the two horses bumping, but Alydar could not overtake Affirmed.[1][3][5]
Payout
- The 104th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule
| Program Number |
Horse Name |
Win |
Place |
Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Affirmed | $5.60 | $2.80 | $2.60 |
| 10 | Alydar | - | $2.60 | $2.40 |
| 9 | Believe It | - | - | $2.80 |
Results
The results were as follows:
| Finish | Post Position | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Affirmed | Steve Cauthen | 9-5 |
| 2 | 10 | Alydar | Jorge Velasquez | 6-5 |
| 3 | 9 | Believe It | Eddie Maple | 7-1 |
| 4 | 7 | Darby Creek Road | Don Brumfield | 30-1 |
| 5 | 3 | Esops Foibles | Chris McCarron | 45-1 |
| 6 | 11 | Sensitive Prince | Mickey Solomone | 9-2 |
| 7 | 8 | Dr. Valeri | Rene Riera Jr. | 90-1 |
| 8 | 5 | Hoist the Silver | Richard Depass | 99-1 |
| 9 | 6 | Chief of Dixieland | Anthony Rini | 99-1 |
| 10 | 1 | Raymond Earl | Bobby Baird | 99-1 |
| 11 | 4 | Special Honor | Paul Nicolo | 99-1 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Affirmed Wins!". Churchill Downs. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Mitchell, R. (January 12, 2001). "Triple Crown Winner Affirmed Euthanized". Blood Horse. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
- 1 2 Rees, J. (January 18, 2015). "Kentucky Derby countdown: Affirmed, 1978". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
- 1 2 3 1978 Kentucky Derby telecast. ABC. May 1978.
- 1 2 3 Sowers, R. (2014). The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes: A Comprehensive History. McFarland. p. 232. ISBN 9780786476985.