LOUISVILLE, KY. – Even though Churchill Downs on Saturday was closed to spectators and all but a select few as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the calls for racial justice that have gripped Louisville for more than three months were visible before, during, and after the Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby broadcast on NBC-TV on Saturday peaked at 9.8 million viewers, a steep fall from the viewership for last year’s broadcast when the race was held in May.

According to NBC, the viewership number was derived from a “fast national” rating of a 4.8 with a 14 share. Last year, the broadcast had a national rating of a 10.9, with a 25 share. Share measures the percentage of televisions in use watching a specific broadcast.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In vivid contrast to the previous day, Sunday morning at Churchill Downs was a place of serenity.

Bob Baffert, who on Saturday tied the legendary Ben A. Jones for the all-time record for most wins (six) by a Kentucky Derby trainer when Authentic triumphed under John Velazquez, made a morning-after appearance at his Barn 33 in front of just a handful of media – as opposed to the usual swarm that congregates in non-coronavirus years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Leave it to the year of the coronavirus to give a surreal ending to the Kentucky Derby.

Authentic won the 146th running of the fabled Run for the Roses on Saturday at spectator-free Churchill Downs, giving Bob Baffert a record-tying sixth victory in America’s greatest horse race while leaving the Hall of Fame trainer choking back tears.

Total handle on a Kentucky Derby run four months after the first Saturday of May dropped just more than 50 percent this year, underlining the importance of the race’s longtime spot on the calendar.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was not quite the gathering they wanted.

Winning payouts on the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, 2020.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - About three hours before the 2020 Kentucky Derby was run, Sittin On Go announced himself as the first arrival on the road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The colt remained unbeaten in his short career by springing a $50 upset in the Grade 3, $200,000 Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs, the first points-scoring race toward next year's Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Here are the Oaks-Derby double will-pays and the early odds (as of 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday) from advance wagering on Saturday’s 146th Kentucky Derby (pool totals unavailable):

The one-eyed gelding Finnick the Fierce has been scratched from Saturday's Kentucky Derby, leaving an expected field of 16 starters.

Veterinarian Arnaldo Monge, who owns Finnick the Fierce with trainer Rey Hernandez, said that the gelding typically "carries himself a little funny," and that this week official veterinarians had been keeping a close eye on the horse. Finnick the Fierce lost his right eye as a foal.