Brothers Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz will try to reverse their fortunes in the Run for the Roses when they leave the starting gate in the 2024 Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Jose, who won the Eclipse award for Outstanding Jockey in 2017, and Irad, who won the award in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, have never won the Kentucky Derby in 15 combined mounts. The best finish between the two came in 2018, when Jose finished second aboard Good Magic. This year, Irad will be aboard Domestic Product, while Jose will ride Catalytic. Both are 30-1 longshots in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds. Florida Derby winner Fierceness, who will be ridden by three-time Derby winner John Velazquez, is the 5-2 favorite among the 2024 Kentucky Derby horses.
The 2024 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. With the Kentucky Derby annually featuring the largest field in North American racing, you'll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, considering the success she's had handicapping this race.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Yu enters this year's Kentucky Derby on a roll. She correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup. In the month leading up to the Kentucky Derby, she predicted Stronghold's upset win in the Santa Anita Derby and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap.
For the first leg of the Triple Crown, Yu has handicapped the 2024 Kentucky Derby lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu is fading Fierceness, even though he is the 5-2 Kentucky Derby favorite. Fierceness has been dominant in his three career victories, winning by 11¼, 6¼, and 13½ lengths. He also enters the Kentucky Derby 2024 with the top two Beyer Speed Figures in the 2024 Kentucky Derby field: 110 and 105.
However, Fierceness has never been able to run two big races consecutively. He has also never won when he wasn't on or near a soft pace. "I can't see him being a lonely leader again in the Derby, and he has thrown in the towel the two times someone eyeballed him," Yu told SportsLine. See who else to fade here.
Another curveball: Yu is high on Just a Touch, even though he's a longshot at 10-1 in the Kentucky Derby odds 2024. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Just a Touch is coming off a second-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes and held a lead in the final stretch before being caught by Sierra Leone. Just a Touch had a 101 HRN speed in the Blue Grass Stakes, faster than any horse other than Sierra Leone.
Just a Touch will run from post No. 8, which produced Mage as the winner at last year's Kentucky Derby. Post No. 8 has featured nine Kentucky Derby winners, tied for the second-most of any post position, and Yu believes it's a strong draw in the middle. The bay-colored colt is one of multiple horses trained by Brad Cox in the 2024 Kentucky Derby field, as one of the top trainers in the sport attempts to bring his first horse across the finish line first in the Run for the Roses. You can see all of Yu's 2024 Kentucky Derby bets here.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks
Moreover, Yu's top pick is a horse who "will be happy to get the added ground" at Churchill Downs. She's also high on a massive double-digit longshot who "blew my doors off." She is including these horses in her 2024 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. She's sharing which 2024 Kentucky Derby horses to back at SportsLine.
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.
2024 Kentucky Derby odds, contenders
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dornoch | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Mystik Dan | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Catching Freedom | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Catalytic | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Just Steel | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Honor Marie | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Just a Touch | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Encino | 20-1 | SCR |
| 10 | T O Password (JPN) | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 11 | Forever Young (JPN) | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 12 | Track Phantom | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 13 | West Saratoga | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 14 | Endlessly | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 15 | Domestic Product | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 16 | Grand Mo the First | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 17 | Fierceness | 5-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 18 | Stronghold | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 19 | Resilience | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 20 | Society Man | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 21 | Epic Ride | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
