Meet the 20 horses racing in Saturday's Kentucky Derby - UPI.com (2024)

Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness is washed down by his grooms after his workout on the track as they prepares for the150th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. Photo by John Sommers II/UPI | License Photo

The Derby is scheduled to start at 6:57 p.m. EDT, and will be broadcast on NBC It also will stream on Peaco*ck.

Forecasters call for a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 a.m. and another a chance of showers later in the day. When the rain abates, it's expected to be a partly sunny day with a high near 81 degrees.

Here are the 20 horses entered for the 1 1/4-mile Run for the Roses, by post position, with sire, trainer, jockey and morning-line odds.

1. Dornoch (by Good Magic), Danny Gargan, Luis Saez, 20-1.

Dornoch was looking like one of the Derby favorites with wins in the Grade II Remsen and the Grade II Fountain of Youth. Then he clunked home fourth in the Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland and some of the shine came off his reputation. He does like the lead and has the inside gate, so much will depend on how well he starts and how much company he has on the front end. He's hard to dismiss -- but hard to like a lot.

2. Sierra Leone (by Gun Runner), Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione, 3-1

He is the second-favorite on the morning line after back-to-back wins in the Grade II Risen Star at Fair Grounds and Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland. He'd be undefeated if not nosed out by Dornoch in the Grade II Remsen last December. A few issues: He runs from the back of the field, which can be problematic in a 20-horse field, and he delayed the start of the Blue Grass while acting up behind the gate. Brown says he has schooled well at Churchill Downs, but 150,000 fans will be watching the field Saturday.

3. Mystik Dan (by Goldencents), Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1

His big break came in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, where he romped by 8 lengths. That, however, was on a muddy track, and he followed with a well-beaten third in the Grade I Arkansas Derby on a fast surface. If the track is wet, have another look.

4. Catching Freedom (by Constitution), Brad Cox, Flavien Prat, 8-1

Like Derby favorite Fierceness, he has been unable to string together back-to-back wins. But when he does win, with a late run from far back, it's impressive. His three victories include a last-to-first score in the Grade II Louisiana Derby, which followed a third in the Grade II Risen Star. He won his career debut at Churchill Downs, a good credential for a Derby hopeful, but then finished fourth when caught in traffic in his next start -- a bad sign for a Derby hopeful.

5. Catalytic (by Catalina Cruiser), Saffie Joseph Jr., Jose Ortiz, 30-1

He's raced three times and improved with each effort, right up to his second-place finish in the Grade I Florida Derby. In that, however, he finished 13 lengths behind Fierceness, so another big forward movement would be needed to compete here. He should be forwardly placed early.

6. Just Steel (by Justify), D. Wayne Lukas, Keith Asmussen, 20-1

Lukas is nothing if not old school, so it's no surprise Just Steel will be making his 12th start on the first Saturday in May. He has only two wins from those races, but his four seconds include the Grade I Arkansas Derby, 2 lengths behind Muth, who is ineligible for the Kentucky Derby because Churchill Downs has banned trainer Bob Baffert. Muth would be among the favorites were he in the field so, if he fires his best shot, Just Steel might be around in the late going to steal part of the purse.

7. Honor Marie (by Honor Code), Whit Beckman, Ben Curtis, 20-1

Here's an improving colt who seems to benefit from more and more distance. He finished second in the Grade II Louisiana Derby in his last start with career-high speed figures. While he may benefit from the stretch to 1 1/4 miles, he also will need racing luck, as he is another who seems to be committed to making one late run from the back of the pack. Still, a live longshot chance.

8. Just a Touch (by Justify), Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 10-1

The Kentucky Derby will be just his fourth career start. He won going 6 furlongs at Fair Grounds to open his account, and then finished second in the Grade III Gotham at Aqueduct and the Grade III Blue Grass at Keeneland. In the latter, he had the lead in the lane, but surrendered it to Sierra Leone, who won by 1 1/2 lengths. The Derby is a furlong farther than the Blue Grass, but Just a Touch could be a contender with just a touch of improvement. We'll see if those 10-1 odds hold up on the tote board Saturday.

10. T O Password (by Copano Rickey), Daisuke Takayanagi, Kazuski Kimura, 30-1

T O Password earned his way into the field by finishing atop the leaderboard in the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby." That was a bit of a default, as the more highly regarded Forever Young led the series before moving to more profitable fields in the Middle East. T O Password also has had only two starts. However, given the blossoming quality of Japanese dirt racing, it would be unwise to totally ignore his chances.

11. Forever Young (by Real Steel), Yahagi Yosh*to, Sakai Ryusei, 10-1

This colt is undefeated after five starts, including the Group 3 Saudi Derby in February and the Group 2 UAE Derby in Dubai in March. He was tested in each of those, needing the whole length of the long King Abdulaziz Racecourse stretch to catch and beat Book'em Danno in Riyadh, and then chased down South American contender Auto Bahn in the stretch in Dubai. Those were all the more impressive, as Yosh*to said the colt was not at 100% in Saudi Arabia and then had only five weeks to recover for Dubai. His sire, Real Steel, is a son of Deep Impact, who in turn was sired by 1989 Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence.

12. Track Phantom (by Quality Road), Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 20-1

He showed the way in the Grade III Lecomte, the Grade II Risen Star and the Grade II Louisiana Derby, finishing first, second and fourth, respectively, in those races. It seems he might have an issue with distances unless Asmussen dials up a change in tactics. He did get his first win at Churchill Downs, so there's that.

13. West Saratoga (by Exaggerator), Larry Demeritte, Jesus Castenon, 30-1

He's won only twice in 10 starts, including an upset victory in the Grade III Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs last September. He earned his way into the field with a second-place finish in the Grade III Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, 4 1/2 lengths back of Endlessly, but his numbers don't add up to being competitive with this bunch.

14. Endlessly (by Oscar Performance), Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli, 30-1

He has five wins from six starts. That's a fact. But the facts, as Norman Mailer said during the Chicago Seven trial, are nothing without their nuance. In this case, the nuance is that four of those six starts came on turf and the other two on all-weather tracks. That doesn't mean he can't run on dirt but it's a truism that one shouldn't be on a horse to do something he hasn't yet done. The all-weather wins came in the El Camino Real Derby in California and the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

15. Domestic Product (by Practical Joke), Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr., 30-1

He's won only two races, one of them his most recent start in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby. In the race before that, he was second in the Grade III Holy Bull at Gulfstream, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Fierceness in third. He also has finished behind Sierra Leone, Dornoch and Just Steel in various races and needs to step up to get the job done here. It's rare to see Chad and Irad at 30-1 on a morning line.

16. Grand Mo the First (by Uncle Mo), Victor Barboza Jr., Emisael Jaramillo, 50-1

This colt started his career on all-weather tracks and the turf. Switched to dirt, he finished third in the Swale Stakes in February and third in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby, just a neck back of the winner, Domestic Product, on March 9. He was third again in the Grade I Florida Derby, but was 16 lengths back of the winner, Fierceness, at the finish. None of that inspires a lot of confidence.

17. Fierceness (by City of Light), Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 5-2 (favorite)

The morning-line Derby favorite won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award as best 2-year-old male. He comes to the Derby off a smashing, 13-length victory in the Grade I Florida Derby, where he earned a monster 110 Beyer Speed Figure. But he has yet to put together two wins in a row, finishing seventh, beaten 20 lengths, in last year's Grade I Champagne at Aqueduct, and third, 3 1/2 lengths back, in his 3-year-old debut in the Grade III Holy Bull. If he repeats the Florida Derby performance, the others could be running for second. If ever an owner deserved a Kentucky Derby on enthusiasm alone, it's Mike Repole, who's 0-for-7 and had two others, likely favorites, scratched just hours before the race.

18. Stronghold (by Ghostzapper), Phil D'Amato, Antonio Fresu, 20-1

Three wins and three seconds from six starts is not a bad record, especially as he won his last two races, culminating in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Now based in California, he has started his career in Kentucky, winning his second start at Churchill Downs. His stalking style could play well in this race, although there's the age-old question about the relative merits of West Coast horses versus the East and Kentucky. D'Amato is known primarily as a top turf trainer, but this colt could modify that reputation in a big way.

19. Resilience (by Into Mischief), Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 20-1

This guy took four tries to find his way to the winner's circle, but then finished fourth in the Grade II Risen Star against several he will face again under the Twin Spires. He made it into the field with a mild upset win in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct when Mott added blinkers to his equipment. He seems best when stalking the pace, but has yet to show he can beat horses like the favorites in the Derby field.

20. Society Man (by Good Magic), Danny Gargan, Frankie Dettori, 50-1

Society Man took four tries to get his first win, finishing eighth in the Grade III Withers at Aqueduct while still a maiden. He finally got the job done over a muddy Aqueduct track March 9 and followed that up with a second-place finish behind Resilience in the Grade II Wood Memorial, earning his spot in the Derby field. He went off at odds of 106-1 in the Wood and this probably isn't the type of Kentucky Derby mount for which Dettori postponed retirement.

21. Epic Ride (by Blame), John Ennis, Adam Beschizza, 30-1

He was good on the Turfway Park all-weather course through the winter and finished third in the Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland in his first start on dirt. He'll have to do better to figure in the outcome Saturday if he gets into the field but, hey, Rich Strike drew in and won at odds of 80-1 two years ago so it's not impossible.