Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites.
2024 Kentucky Derby Lineup
1. Dornoch (20-1)
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Luis Saez
2. Sierra Leone (3-1)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
3. Mystik Dan (20-1)
Trainer: Kenneth McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
4. Catching Freedom (8-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat
5. Catalytic (30-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
6. Just Steel (20-1)
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Keith Asmussen
7. Honor Marie (20-1)
Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman
Jockey: Ben Curtis
8. Just A Touch (10-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux
9. (Encino, scratched)
10. T O Password (30-1)
Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura
11. Forever Young (10-1)
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
12. Track Phantom (20-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
13. West Saratoga (50-1)
Trainer: Larry Demeritte
Jockey: Jesus Castanon
14. Endlessly (30-1)
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
15. Domestic Product (30-1)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
16. Grand Mo the First (50-1)
Trainer: Victor Barboza Jr.
Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo
17. Fierceness (5-2)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
18. Stronghold (20-1)
Trainer: Philip D'Amato
Jockey: Antonio Fresu
19. Resilience (20-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
20. Society Man (50-1)
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Frankie Dettori
21. Epic Ride (50-1)
Trainer: John Ennis
Jockey: Adam Beschizza
John Velazquez has more than twice as many Kentucky Derby appearances as any other jockey in this year's field. However, there are some other experienced riders who will be competing on Saturday.
Joel Rosario will be riding in his 13th Derby and seeking his second win while riding Track Phantom. He previously rode Orb to victory in 2013. Meanwhile, Luis Saez is entering his 11th Kentucky Derby and eyeing his first win with Dornoch.
In addition to Velazquez and Rosario, Florent Geroux (Just A Touch) and Flavien Prat (Catching Freedom) are also former Derby winners. Geroux rode Mandaloun in 2021, while Prat was victorious with Country House in 2019.
Sixteen jockeys in the 2024 field will be seeking their first Derby win, a group that includes four who will be making their debut in the race.
However, Velazquez is riding the horse who may be the strongest in the field. And trainer Todd Pletcher is happy to have that be the case.
"I think tactically, he is one of the best, if not the best, of all time," Pletcher said of Velazquez, per Byron King of BloodHorse. "He's a great positional rider. He's had success in this particular race and every other race that there is."
Fierceness is coming off a win at the Florida Derby in March, one of the colt's three victories in five career races. He had been slated to start from the No. 17 post (which has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner), but he'll be sliding over one due to the scratch of Encino.
Sierra Leone (3-1) and Catching Freedom (8-1) are among the other horses with the best odds to win Saturday. Although Catching Freedom has longer odds, there are reasons to think he's more likely to win.
Catching Freedom, who won the Louisiana Derby in March, has a former Kentucky Derby-winning trainer (Brad Cox) and jockey (Prat). So it could be a winning formula for success at Churchill Downs.