Ron Wood
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When is the 2024 Kentucky Derby Race?
The Kentucky Oaks is on Saturday, May 4, at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.
2024 Kentucky Derby Post Time
Post time for the 2024 Kentucky Derby is 6:57 pm ET.
If you’re looking to place a bet on the Kentucky Derby and need a racebook to sign up for, then make sure you check out FanDuel Racing! New users can secure a no sweat first bet on the Kentucky Derby up to $500! And given the last 2 winners of the Kentucky Derby have been at 80/1 and 15/1, finding another big-odds winner could deliver a mega payout! Click this link to find out more and sign up for FanDuel Racing.
Kentucky Derby Odds – Who is Favorite to Win the KY Derby in 2024?
The current betting favorite for the 2024 Kentucky Derby is the Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone, who is available at 5-2 odds. Close behind him is Fierceness, a 3-1 shot, while Forever Young is a distant 3rd-favorite at 9-1.
- Sierra Leone 5-2
- Fierceness 3-1
- Forever Young 9-1
- Catching Freedom 10-1
- Just A Touch 11-1
- Honor Marie 18-1
- Mystik Dan 22-1
- Just Steel 28-1
- Stronghold 28-1
- Domestic Product 33-1
- Resilience 33-1
- Track Phantom 33-1
- Society Man 35-1
- Dornoch 40-1
- Endlessly 40-1
- T O Password 40-1
- Epic Ride 50-1
- Catalytic 80-1
- Grand Mo The First 80-1
- West Saratoga 80-1
- Mugatu 100-1
Get all the need-to-know info with our 2024 Kentucky Derby guide, including when post time is, TV channel details and how to bet on it
Kentucky Oaks 2024 Horses and Runner-by-Runner Guide
There are 20 horses declared to run in the Kentucky Derby with 1 reserve. That means one of the horses must come out of the race for reserve Mugatu to run. Below is the name and number of each horse, as well as a quick guide to how they might perform from our horse racing expert.
1 Dornoch
Brother to last year’s winner Mage; has had issues with a quarter crack for much of his career; behind three of these rivals in the Blue Grass at Keeneland latest; sat off the pace then and will likely revert to forward tactics now, but it’ll be a job for him to fend off 19 runners to his outside; rain wouldn’t be an issue for him.
2 Sierra Leone
$2,300,000 yearling, by a leading sire out of Grade 1 winner; off-the-pace; narrowly beaten by Dornoch as a 2yo but much the best that day (squeezed out start, huge move to lead in straight, ran green, tired); 2-2 with blinkers added this term, most recently 1m1f Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland; should get pace ahead of him; ought to appreciate the trip; acts on fast/wet.
3 Mystik Dan
Off-the-pace; maiden win came over 5.5f here; big win in 8.5f Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn in February (muddy track), but that’s shaky form; troubled third in 1m1f Grade 1 Arkansas Derby latest (behind Just Steel); others stronger.
4 Catching Freedom
$575,000 yearling; maiden win came here; behind two of these penultimate start (sloppy); more professional under Flavien Prat for the first time when improved last-to-first winner of 9.5f Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds (fast track); chance.
5 Catalytic
Chased Fierceness for 13.5l second in 1m1f Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream; raced only on fast.
6 Just Steel
Has won here; had some tough trips before improved second in 1m1f Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn (fast track; raced in third; winner of that race now absent); needs to progress some more; sire won the 2018 Triple Crown.
7 Honor Marie
Off-the-pace; two wins here including 8.5f Grade 2 last year; most recently second to Catching Freedom in 9.5f Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds; May foal who should keep progressing and will be suited by this test; has done his winning on fast.
8 Just A Touch
May foal; debuted in January; three starts; races forwardly; most recently second to Sierra Leone in the 1m1f Blue Grass at Keeneland; should keep progressing; acts on fast/sloppy.
10 T O Password
Late May foal; would be a shocking winner coming in off two minor starts/victories in 1m1f dirt races in Japan, most recently front the front.
11 Forever Young
Japanese runner is unbeaten in five, the last two on his travels in Saudi Arabia and Dubai; neither of those races unfolded ideally but his stamina won out, the latest coming over just shy of this trip; lacks early speed, so needs the leaders to over do it.
12 Track Phantom
Front-runner; maiden win came here; however, beaten in Derby trials last two starts (fast/sloppy); blinkers need to make the difference.
13 West Saratoga
Stalked pace en route to winning 1m Grade 3 here last year (fast track), but needs major career best.
14 Endlessly
Turf bred runner with couple of off-the-pace 1m1f AW wins this year, Grade 3 latest; dirt debut; unappealing.
15 Domestic Product
Picked up off steady pace for narrow win in 8.5f Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby (fast track); that form is essentially worthless, but no way of knowing what he could do over a strongly run 1m2f.
16 Grand Mo The First
16l third behind front-running Fierceness (also behind Catalytic) in the Florida Derby.
17 Fierceness
Three big wins and two flops from five starts; won Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by more than 6l; squeezed out start when beaten on return, then overcame post 8/9 for 13.5l front-running win in 1m1f Grade 1 Florida Derby; top-class talent, but was able to set an ordinary tempo at Gulfstream and this is a much more competitive scenario from a wide gate; rain would be non-issue.
18 Stronghold
Had two of these behind when winning 1m maiden here last year; won both starts this term but needs to run plenty quicker than for narrow win in 1m1f Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby; likely to stalk the pace; raced only on fast.
19 Resilience
Won 1m1f Grade 2 Wood Memorial with blinkers added at Aqueduct (fast track), but this demands more.
20 Society Man
Frankie Dettori’s mount is steadily progressive but needs to do way more than when big-priced second to Resilience in the Wood at Aqueduct; the sole gelding; could cope with rain.
21 Epic Ride
Gets off the reserves’ list; May foal; AW winner who ran well for third behind two of these when switched to dirt in the 1m1f Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, but was beaten more than 5l (fast track; stalked the pace).
R22 Mugatu
Reserve; late-running fifth behind some of these in the 1m1f Blue Grass at Keeneland; little hope.
2024 Kentucky Derby Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Sierra Leone (5-2)
Loads of runners as usual but many of these can be discounted and SIERRA LEONE appeals as a solid option. He has plenty of ability and this test should suit him. Fierceness, on the other hand, might not find this an ideal race but he’s the fastest horse in the lineup. Just A Touch was runner-up to Sierra Leone last time and is second choice now. Honor Marie, the mount of Ben Curtis, might be the ‘wise-guy’ play.
If you’re looking to place a bet on the Kentucky Oaks and need a racebook to sign up for, then make sure you check out FanDuel Racing! New users can secure a no sweat first bet on the Kentucky Derby up to $500! And given the last 2 winners of the Kentucky Derby have been at 80/1 and 15/1, finding another big-odds winner could deliver a mega payout! Click this link to find out more and sign up for FanDuel Racing.
