However, the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States led to the shutdown of several race meetings starting in mid-March, which resulted in the postponement or outright cancellation of several of these major preps.

[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Belmont and Churchill Downs' spring meet (May and June races) were held without spectators.

[13][b] The field is limited to twenty horses who qualify based on points earned in the 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated races that was first introduced in 2013.

His only career loss was as a two-year-old in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes over a sloppy course at Churchill Downs.

[17] He faced a smaller field than has become traditional for the Derby, in part because of attrition due to injury on the extended lead up to the race.

[2] Soon after the Derby ended, the activists who gathered outside Churchill Downs largely disbanded and left the area.

[11] Authentic broke poorly from the outside post position, then rushed up to take the lead, completing the first quarter-mile in 22.92, a relatively brisk pace.

He raced four wide around the first turn, then moved to the rail along the backstretch while slowing down the pace, completing the half-mile in :46.41 and three-quarters in 1:10.23.

Meanwhile, Tiz the Law was tracking the pace a few lengths behind in fourth place, also carried wide around the first turn.

[22][23][24] The race gave trainer Bob Baffert his sixth win in the Kentucky Derby, tying the record set by Ben Jones from 1938 to 1952.

MyRaceHorse Stable consists of roughly 4,500 people who bought a total of 12,500 microshares for $206 each through an online app.

This may be attributable to the late date of the event and the extended prep season that disrupted normal training routines.