The first leg of this year’s horse racing triple crown takes place on Saturday at Churchill Downs with the running of the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Legendary trainer Todd Pletcher will look for his third Kentucky Derby win, and will have one horse in the 2024 Kentucky Derby field. Pletcher’s sole horse in the 2024 Kentucky Derby lineup is Fierceness, the 5-2 betting favorite in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds. With a win at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Pletcher would become just the third trainer ever with three Kentucky Derby wins.
Other top 2024 Kentucky Derby horses include Sierra Leone (3-1), Catching Freedom (8-1), Forever Young (10-1), and Just a Touch (10-1). Will this be the year the favorite breaks through and wins at Churchill Downs, or will a long shot stun the horse racing world? The 2024 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2024. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 years. He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta and superfecta picks in 2023, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, with the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2024 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Fierceness, even though he’s the top favorite and just won the Florida Derby. Fierceness will be racing out of stall No. 17, which has not produced a winner in 44 tries. Since the starting gate was introduced in 1930, it is the only post that has not featured a Kentucky Derby winner.
Fierceness has also never won back-to-back races during his young career, and it will not be easy to follow up his dominant showing in the Florida Derby. He finished seventh in the Champagne Stakes last October and finished third in his 3-year-old debut at the Holy Bull. There are multiple other proven 2024 Kentucky Derby horses, so Demling is going in a different direction with his pick to win the race. See which other 2024 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Dornoch, even though he’s a 20-1 longshot. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Dornoch has the speed to spring the upset at the Kentucky Derby 2024. He has won three of his last four starts and has finished first or second in five of his past six races.
Dornoch beat out Sierra Leone for the victory at the 2023 Remsen Stakes, which was held at Aqueduct Racetrack last December. He also comes from a pedigree known to produce contenders at the Kentucky Derby. Dornoch is from the second crop of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic, who was also second in the Kentucky Derby in 2018. Demling says trainer Danny Gargan will rely on Dornoch’s speed from the No. 1 post position this time around, making him a valuable longshot. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who “keeps getting better and better.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2024 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2024, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who nailed 10 Derby-Oaks doubles.
