Kentucky Derby 2024 draw: Post positions, jockeys, odds

Louisville, Ky.

Eclipse Award winner Fierceness, who ran off to a 13 1/2-length win last month in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, drew post 17 and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite for next Saturday’s running of Kentucky Derby 2024.

The champion juvenile male of last year got a post that never has produced a Derby winner. Trainer Todd Pletcher, however, saw the benefits of having other early-speed horses to the inside of Fierceness and jockey John Velázquez.

DeRosa: Fair odds for Kentucky Derby 2024.

“We we’re kind of hoping for an outside draw,” Pletcher said after the draw in the new $200 million paddock coliseum at Churchill Downs. “We don’t have to stand in the gate too long there. We’ll get enough time to hopefully get set up and ready. A clean start is important to him. He’s got enough tactical speed. I think he can advance to the first turn and get in a good position. It looks like all the speed is inside of him, so it gives Johnny an opportunity to kind of survey what’s going on.”

Even though he will be no. 17 no matter what, Fierceness could avoid that post if there were a scratch inside of him.

“I’m going to ask to stay in that post. I love being there,” said owner Mike Repole, who called himself a long shot to become a business tycoon. “Listen, I was one for a million in my life. I mean 0-for-43 (actually 0-for-44) are way better odds than one for a million.”

Sierra Leone, the deep closer who won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), drew post 2 and was the second choice at 3-1.

Nineteen colts and the gelding Society Man were entered into the main draw of 20 3-year-olds who qualified through a series of prep races that began in September. Epic Ride and Mugatu are the only two also-eligible entrants, and each is 50-1 on the morning line. Seize the Grey, who could have been no. 22, was diverted to the Pat Day Mile (G2) in the Derby undercard.

The field for the Kentucky Derby, scheduled for next Saturday at 6:57 p.m. EDT, is shown here with trainers, jockeys and morning-line odds written by longtime Churchill Downs handicapper Mike Battaglia:

2024 Kentucky Derby G1

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Dornoch Good Magic	7.32	Danny Gargan Luis Saez	4th, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1	20-1
Last Race		4th, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1
2		Sierra Leone Gun Runner	8.12	Chad C. Brown Tyler Gaffalione	1st, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1	3-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1
3		Mystik Dan Goldencents	7.56	Kenneth G. McPeek Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.	3rd, 2024 Arkansas Derby G1	20-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Arkansas Derby G1
4		Catching Freedom Constitution	7.68	Brad H. Cox Flavien Prat	1st, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2	8-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2
5		Catalytic Catalina Cruiser	6.30	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Jose L. Ortiz	2nd, 2024 Florida Derby G1	30-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Florida Derby G1
6		Just Steel Justify	6.78	D. Wayne Lukas Keith Asmussen	2nd, 2024 Arkansas Derby G1	20-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Arkansas Derby G1
7		Honor Marie Honor Code	6.74	D. Whitworth Beckman Ben Curtis	2nd, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2	20-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2
8		Just A Touch Justify	7.49	Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux	2nd, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1	10-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1
9		Encino Nyquist	6.95	Brad H. Cox Axel Concepcion	1st, 2024 Lexington G3	20-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Lexington G3
10		T O Password Copano Rickey	6.09	Daisuke Takayanagi Kazushi Kimura	1st, 2024 Fukuryu Stakes LS	30-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Fukuryu Stakes LS
11		Forever Young Real Steel	7.80	Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai	1st, 2024 UAE Derby G2	10-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 UAE Derby G2
12		Track Phantom Quality Road	7.35	Steven M. Asmussen Joel Rosario	4th, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2	20-1
Last Race		4th, 2024 Louisiana Derby G2
13		West Saratoga Exaggerator	6.46	Larry W. Demeritte Jesus L. Castanon	2nd, 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks G3	50-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks G3
14		Endlessly Oscar Performance	7.49	Michael W. McCarthy Umberto Rispoli	1st, 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks G3	30-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Jeff Ruby Steaks G3
15		Domestic Product Practical Joke	7.19	Chad C. Brown Irad Ortiz, Jr.	1st, 2024 Tampa Bay Derby G3	30-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Tampa Bay Derby G3
16		Grand Mo the First Uncle Mo	6.34	Victor Barboza, Jr. Emisael Jaramillo	3rd, 2024 Florida Derby G1	50-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Florida Derby G1
17		Fierceness City of Light	7.93	Todd A. Pletcher John R. Velazquez	1st, 2024 Florida Derby G1	5-2
Last Race		1st, 2024 Florida Derby G1
18		Stronghold Ghostzapper	7.55	Philip D'Amato Antonio Fresu	1st, 2024 Santa Anita Derby G1	20-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Santa Anita Derby G1
19		Resilience Into Mischief	7.17	William I. Mott Junior Alvarado	1st, 2024 Wood Memorial G2	20-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 Wood Memorial G2
20		Society Man Good Magic	6.34	Danny Gargan Frankie Dettori	2nd, 2024 Wood Memorial G2	50-1
Last Race		2nd, 2024 Wood Memorial G2
21		Epic Ride Blame	6.21	John Ennis Adam Beschizza	3rd, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1	50-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1
22		Mugatu Blofeld	4.45	Jeff Engler Joseph Talamo	5th, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1	50-1
Last Race		5th, 2024 Blue Grass Stakes G1

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