Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shared his near-miss experience of almost winning a $100,000 bet at the Kentucky Derby, only to be denied by an incredibly close three-horse photo finish.
Kelce made a stylish appearance at the Kentucky Derby, sporting a white suit and black top hat, following his attendance at the Chainsmokers’ Sports Illustrated concert in Louisville the previous day.
After arriving at Churchill Downs the next day, the Kansas City Chiefs star was captured on video celebrating what seemed like an early betting triumph, enthusiastically jumping up and down.
However, Kelce’s mood took a sharp turn later in the day when Forever Young, the horse he had backed in the pivotal Derby race, narrowly missed out in the three-horse photo finish. Despite placing a bet of $12,500 on the Japanese horse at odds of 7-1, he fell just short of winning a significant $100,000 payout.
“I was a nose away from winning that f***ing thing dude,’ he told brother Jason on their New Heights podcast. ‘It was like a photo finish at the end. It was three horses, I had [number] 11.”
“I had a little bit on two. Placed [11] as the winner, yeah.”
Kelce also revealed that he did not place a trifecta bet.
“I just wanted to f***ing put the money that I brought in there and throw it down on one horse and just get f***ing pumped if that thing was even close.”
“And sure enough round that corner you see that thing f***ing running. Come on come on come on… goooooo! Gooooooo! I put enough money on that f***ing thing.’He added: ‘I almost won a f***ing hundred thousand off a Japanese horse at the Kentucky Derby. Do you think America would have shamed me for that?”
In a thrilling conclusion, Mystik Dan emerged victorious in the photo finish to claim the Kentucky Derby title at odds of 18-1, while Sierra Leone edged out Forever Young for second place at 3-1.
After his Kentucky Derby experience on Saturday, Kelce swiftly made his way to Florida for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
Interestingly, there was no sign of his girlfriend Taylor Swift at either event, as the NFL star attended both solo.
Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes, accompanied by his wife Brittany, was also present in Miami.
Both Chiefs stars are investors in the Alpine F1 team, giving them a vested interest in Sunday’s race.
Following McLaren star Lando Norris’ triumph, Kelce and Mahomes joined a star-studded after party at Carbone Beach, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tyreek Hill, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.
