The Kentucky Derby is almost here. The 150th Run for the Roses is set for Saturday afternoon from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, where 20 horses will be vying for this year's crown. The mint juleps will be flowing all day as fans make the annual pilgrimage to the famed racetrack to take in the fastest two minutes in sports. The post draw was held very early this year, a full week before the race takes place.
The favorite this year is Fierceness, who will start out of the No. 16 gate. The horse, trained by Todd Pletcher, has three wins in five career starts. Fierceness took home the win at the Florida Derby in March to go with a win at the Breeders Cup in November.
As is always the case, the favorite will have some stiff competition from the rest of the field at Churchill Downs. Sierra Leone (3-1), Catching Freedom (8-1), Forever Young (10-1), and Just a Touch (10-1) round out the rest of the favorites in this year's Kentucky Derby field. Dornoch, the younger brother of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, is something of a longshot at 20-1.
The most common post position to take home the roses has been the No. 5 gate with 10. The last win from that starting gate came in 2017 with Always Dreaming. The position drew a fairly big longshot this year with Catalytic, who is around 30-1 to win it all. He has just three races on his resumes and two second-place finishes.
Last year, the morning-line favorite, Forte, was scratched the morning of the race. The massive shakeup atop the field led to one of the more interesting races in recent memory with no clear favorite. Mage, at 15-1, managed to hold off Angel Empire and Two Phil's for a massive win for jockey Javier Castellano, who picked up his first victories in the Run for the Roses and the Belmont Stakes last year.
The winner of the 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby will look to join the 13 Triple Crown winners in history. The last came in 2018 with Justify as the horse easily swept all three legs of the Triple Crown at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
Check out the list of previous 149 winners before the action kicks off on May 4.
2024 Kentucky Derby post positions
- Dornoch (20-1)
- Sierra Leone (3-1)
- Mystik Dan (20-1)
- Catching Freedom (8-1)
- Catalytic (30-1)
- Just Steel (20-1)
- Honor Marie (20-1)
- Just a Touch (10-1)
Encino (20-1)Scratched- T O Password (30-1)
- Forever Young (10-1)
- Track Phantom (20-1)
- West Saratoga (50-1)
- Endlessly (30-1)
- Domestic Product (30-1)
- Grand Mo the First (50-1)
- Fierceness (5/2)
- Stronghold (20-1)
- Resilience (20-1)
- Society Man (50-1)
- Epic Ride (30-1)
- Mugtau (30-1)
2024 Kentucky Derby odds (sorted)
- Fierceness -- 5/2
- Sierra Leone 3-1
- Catching Freedom 8-1
- Just a Touch 10-1
- Forever Young 10-1
- Dornoch 20-1
- Mystik Dan 20-1
- Just Steel 20-1
- Honor Marie 20-1
Encino 20-1- Track Phantom 20-1
- Stronghold 20-1
- Resilience 20-1
- Catalytic 30-1
- T O Password 30-1
- Endlessly 30-1
- Domestic Product 30-1
- Epic Ride 30-1
- Mugatu 30-1
- West Saratoga 50-1
- Grand Mo the First 50-1
- Society Man 50-1
So who wins the 2024 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has a long history of success in the Kentucky Derby, and find out.
