Travis Kelce Was ‘A Nose Away’ From Winning $100K at Kentucky Derby

Eventually, something had to go wrong for Travis Kelce.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is a three-time Super Bowl champion, cohosts a wildly successful podcast with his brother and is dating Taylor Swift, one of the most famous people on the planet. But Kelce, 34, came up just short in one of his big Kentucky Derby bets.

Kelce revealed on his “New Heights” podcast on Wednesday, May 8, that he could have won $100,000 if horse Forever Young placed second at last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. The Japanese horse placed third, and as Kelce put it, he was “a nose away.”

“I was a beginner. I didn’t get too far into that,” Kelce said of his betting, adding he also had money on Forever Young to win. “I just wanted to f–king put the money that I brought in there and throw it down on like one horse and just get f–king pumped if that thing was even close. And sure enough, coming around that corner, you see that thing … come up.”

He then asked his brother, Jason Kelce, “Do you think America would have shamed me for that?”

“I’m shaming you right now, dude,” replied Jason, 36. “You bet on a Japanese horse?”

No Japanese horse has ever won the Derby, with Master Fencer finishing sixth in 2019 as the first-ever Japan-born competitor.

Despite coming up short on his Forever Young bet, Travis appeared to have a good time at the Kentucky Derby. And according to an Instagram post from the Derby and the Kansas City Chiefs, he did win on at least one bet. In a joint post, they showed a video of him jumping up and down in celebration with a text overlay that read, “When you show up to the Kentucky Derby and your first bet hits.”

The video also showed off Travis’ Churchill Downs–appropriate outfit, which fans promptly roasted.

Travis wore a white pinstriped suit and blue fedora, which, to be fair, fit the occasion. Hats are extremely important in Kentucky Derby fashion, and this was rather understated compared to some of the more outrageous Derby looks. Still, he earned comparisons to Mr. Peanut and, as one user on X said, he looked like “a cast member of a high school production of Guys & Dolls.”

But you can look as ridiculous as you want when your girlfriend isn’t around, and Swift, also 34, was not in attendance. She’s currently in Paris doing a series of shows with Paramore as part of her Eras Tour.

Travis followed up his Derby appearance with a trip to Miami for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday, May 5.