The 1978 Kentucky Derby was the 104th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...

, under jockey

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

, won the race by 1 1/2 lengths over

Alydar Alydar (March 23, 1975 – November 15, 1990) was an American Thoroughbred race horse and sire. A chestnut colt, he was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the 1978 Triple Crown. With each successive ...

. Believe It finished 3rd, 1 1/4 lengths behind Alydar, and 30-1 longshot Darby Creek Road finished 4th. Affirmed won the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

by defeating Alydar by decreasing margins in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

and the Belmont Stakes. 11 horses competed in the race. Alydar went into the race as a 6-5 favorite, despite Affirmed having won 4 of the 6 previous races between the two. Affirmed went off at 9–5. 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. Sensitive Prince and Affirmed, both frontrunners, were near the lead early in the race behind long shot Raymond Earl. Sensitive Prince took the lead at the first turn, but Affirmed gained the lead at the second turn. After attaining the lead, Affirmed held it for the remainder of the race except for a brief moment when Believe It led by a head. Alydar charged from the outside down the stretch, and overtook Believe It, despite the two horses bumping, but Alydar could not overtake Affirmed.

Payout

;The 104th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule

Results

* * Steve Cauthen youngest to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby. * ** Robert Baird oldest to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby. * Winning Breeder: Harbor View Farm; ( FL)

References

{{Thoroughbred Racing on ABC Kentucky Derby races 1978 in horse racing 1978 in American sports

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

Kentucky Derby