Kentucky Derby: Best and worst dressed as racegoers dress up

The crowd is almost double the number who head to Aintree for the UK’s Grand National each April, and like the flagship British event, the Kentucky Derby is a magnet for the stars, with dressing up in finery the order of the for all attendees.

About 15m watch the race on television, with up to $300m being placed in bets.

And yesterday Bill Mott’s Sovereignty provided Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation with a first Kentucky Derby success at Churchill Downs, in the 151st running of the race in Louisville. The race followed heavy rain and saw a soft, sloppy track.

Mott told NBC Sports: “I saw him gearing up when he left the half-mile pole – he started to pick up his momentum. I lost him a little bit, but he made up a lot of ground in a hurry. He’s done well, he’s a great horse and he comes from a great organisation. I can’t say enough about the horse and the organisation that started him out and did everything to make this happen. It’s great and it’ll take a while to sink in.”