The eyes of the horse racing world are officially on Churchill Downs. The field for the 2024 Kentucky Derby was drawn Saturday night beneath the legendary Twin Spires, and we now know the horses that will be contesting America’s most famous horse race.
For the next week, Kentucky Derby betting enthusiasts will be out in force. They’ll meticulously analyze the Run for the Roses, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 4. Below, you’ll find the field for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, complete with morning line odds, trainers, and jockeys.
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2024 Kentucky Derby field
| PP | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | ML Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Dornoch | Danny Gargan | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
| #2 | Sierra Leone | Chad Brown | Tyler Gaffalione | 3-1 |
| #3 | Mystik Dan | Ken McPeek | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 20-1 |
| #4 | Catching Freedom | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat | 8-1 |
| #5 | Catalytic | Saffie Joseph, Jr. | Jose Ortiz | 30-1 |
| #6 | Just Steel | D. Wayne Lukas | Keith Asmussen | 20-1 |
| #7 | Honor Marie | Whit Beckman | Ben Curtis | 20-1 |
| #8 | Just a Touch | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux | 10-1 |
| #9 | Encino | Brad Cox | Axel Concepcion | 20-1 |
| #10 | T O Password | Daisuke Takayanagi | Kazushi Kimura | 30-1 |
| #11 | Forever Young | Yoshito Yahagi | Ryusei Sakai | 10-1 |
| #12 | Track Phantom | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 20-1 |
| #13 | West Saratoga | Larry Demeritte | Jesus Castanon | 50-1 |
| #14 | Endlessly | Michael McCarthy | Umberto Rispoli | 30-1 |
| #15 | Domestic Product | Chad Brown | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 30-1 |
| #16 | Grand Mo the First | Victor Barboza, Jr. | Emisael Jaramillo | 50-1 |
| #17 | Fierceness | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 5/2 |
| #18 | Stronghold | Phil D’Amato | Antonio Fresu | 20-1 |
| #19 | Resilience | Bill Mott | Junior Alvarado | 20-1 |
| #20 | Society Man | Danny Gargan | Frankie Dettori | 50-1 |
| #21* | Epic Ride | John Ennis | Adam Beschizza | |
| #22* | Mugatu | Jeff Engler | Joe Talamo |
* – Denotes an “also-eligible” horse that will need at least one scratch by midday Friday to draw into the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
Fierceness is the early Kentucky Derby favorite
#17 Fierceness was last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Male after a dominant performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. His 3-year-old campaign started with a clunker, when he was third in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. However, a runaway victory in the Florida Derby re-established Fierceness as the one to beat in the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
Fierceness has been installed as the 5/2 morning line favorite. #2 Sierra Leone, meanwhile, is the 3-1 second choice. He won both the Risen Star at Fair Grounds and the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. His trainer, Chad Brown, is seen as the most successful current trainer never to have won the Kentucky Derby. He saddled 2018 runner-up Good Magic and 2022 third-place finisher Zandon.
Louisiana Derby winner #4 Catching Freedom is the 8-1 third choice. None of the other runners in this field are below 10-1 (partially a function of the race’s large field and the many different directions betting money will go next Saturday).
More details and notes on the Run for the Roses
The Kentucky Derby offers a purse of $5 million and is run at horse racing’s “classic distance” of 1 1/4 miles. It attracts a crowd of 150,000 fans to Churchill Downs, plus millions more watching on NBA and other horse racing broadcast outlets.
In addition to the Kentucky Derby, the 2024 Kentucky Oaks was also drawn on Saturday night. That’s the Derby’s sister race, for 3-year-old fillies, and it headlines the racing program on Friday, May 3. #8 Tarifa is that race’s 7/2 morning line favorite.
