 In the Derby on May 2, Dark Star started at odds of 25/1, with Native Dancer, unbeaten in eleven races, going off the 3/5 favourite.Apart from the crowd at the track, the race attracted a huge television audience, with three-quarters of American viewers tuning in to the coverage.Dark Star broke quickly from a wide draw and was sent into the lead at the first turn by his twenty-three-year-old jockey Hank Moreno, staying clear of the "bumping and pushing" further back in the field, in which the favorite was badly affected.