Kentucky Derby 2024: Complete list of horses vying for the coveted title

Kentucky Derby Previews — Horse training ahead of the Kentucky Derby

The Churchill Downs gates will fling open for the 150th time for the 2024 Kentucky Derby race, scheduled on May 4, 2024. The Grade 1 stakes race for the three-year Thoroughbreds will feature horses who qualified in the 2024 Road to Kentucky race series and earned award points. The top five finishers of each race will have a chance to battle it out in the final round in Louisville, Kentucky.

20 horses will grace the starting line on the first Saturday of May. Also known as the Run for the Roses, it will be the first leg of the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown encompasses three races, namely, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Added last to the Triple Crown list in 1875, the Kentucky Derby will welcome one gelding and 19 colts to gallop past each other on the dirt track this year.

Entering as the most preferred, Fierceness has captured hearts as the odds-on favorite. Mike Battaglia, the Churchill Downs oddsmaker, selected him with 5-2 odds. With this honor, Fierceness was initially placed in No.17, but on Encino's rule out due to a soft tissue strain, the line moved one step closer, thus placing Fierceness in No. 16.

Kentuck Derby: Full list of horses

Here is the full list of horses rooting for the Derby win as well as their morning line odds:

Dornoch (20-1)
Sierra Leone (3-1)
Mystik Dan (20-1)
Catching Freedom (8-1)
Catalytic (30-1)
Just Steel (20-1)
Honor Marie (20-1)
Just a Touch (10-1)
T O Password (30-1)
Forever Young (10-1)
Track Phantom (20-1)
West Saratoga (50-1)
Endlessly (30-1)
Domestic Product (30-1)
Grand Mo the First (50-1)
Fierceness (5-2)
Stronghold (20-1)
Resilience (20-1)
Society Man (50-1)
Epic Ride (50-1)

The first Road to Kentucky Derby race, the Iroquois Stakes, was scheduled for September 2023. The qualifying cycle ended on April 13 after Lexington Stakes picked the final eligibles. Across 36 races, most of the horses among the 20 finalists were selected. The horse Mugatu was also a choice had the limitation not been 20. If any horse withdraws before 9 am on Friday, Mugatu will automatically qualify as a contender.

A Brief History of the Kentucky Derby

Inaugurated in 1875, the Kentucky Derby secured its name in history as the longest-running event in the US. The name "Run for the Roses" has been in force since 1896, as the winning horse gets a blanket of roses besides the heavy prize money. The first Kentucky Derby winner was a chestnut colt, Aristides. Around 10,000 spectators flocked to the Churchill Downs that year.

In 1973, history was made when Secretariat crossed the finish line in 1:59.4, the fastest Kentucky Derby time, still untouched by any horse. Bill Hartack and Eddie Arcaro etched their name in history as the most victorious jockeys with 5 Derby wins each.

In 2024, the winner will walk home with $3.1 million, the runners-up with $1 million, and $500,000 prize money for the third finisher. $250,000 and $150,000 for the fourth and fifth, respectively. The next in line is the Preakness Stakes in two weeks time, followed by the Belmont Stakes in June.

Edited by Neelabhra Roy