What Time Is the Kentucky Derby, Predicted Winner, and More
Key Takeaways
Fierceness is favored to win, however, favorites only win about a third of the time.
Keep an eye on Sierra Leone and Forever Young. Both have strong chances.
Catching Freedom might perform better in longer races like the Belmont Stakes. Catalytic could challenge Fierceness early on.
The 1.25-mile race will take place on May 4th at 6:57 PM ET at Churchill Downs. Watch it on NBC, Peacock, YouTube TV, or FuboTV.
What Time is the Kentucky Derby?
The 150th Kentucky Derby will be run at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, May 4th, 2024.
The race, which is the first leg of the Triple Crown, will see 20 horses take to the track for the 1.25-mile race. The Run for the Roses will only last about 2 minutes, so ensure you are on time.
So, grab your Kentucky Derby hats and put on your Kentucky Derby outfits to get ready for the biggest horse race of the year.
How to Watch the Kentucky Derby
If you cannot attend Churchill Downs to see the race in person, you have several viewing options. NBC will begin race coverage at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The race can also be watched on Peacock, YouTube TV and FuboTV.
Horses in the Kentucky Derby
The horses thundering down the track in an attempt to win the $3.1 million purse must be three-year-old thoroughbreds. Read more for the Kentucky Derby odds and the horses you may want to root for.
Fierceness
Many believe that Fierceness has the greatest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds of winning. John Velazquez will ride this horse for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Many believe that this bay horse will win the Kentucky Derby because he won the Florida Derby on March 30, 2024, by 13 lengths.
While Fierceness was initially set to start in post position 17, the scratching of Encino on April 30, 2024, means that he will start from post position 16.
Post position 17 is the only post position that has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner. The last time a favorite won the Run for the Roses was in 2018. Jockey John Velazquez has won the Kentucky Derby on three prior occasions.
Originally from Puerto Rico, this jockey won aboard Animal Kingdom in 2011, Always Dreaming in 2017, and Authentic in 2020. No jockey has ever won the Run for the Roses four times.
On race day, he will be 49 years old. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the prestigious Eclipse Award, given to the trainer of the year eight times. His horses won the Kentucky Derby twice, with Super Saver winning in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017.
Sierra Leone
Many people believe that if Fierceness does not win, Sierra Leone will win. This dark bay horse trained by Chad Brown has run in four races, winning three.
Most recently, he won the Blue Grass Stakes on April 6, 2024. This horse, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, will come out of post two.
Sierra Leone may be in the rear of the pack before turning on the speed in the last quarter mile. His owners had to pay the top price of $2.5 million for him at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione has never won the Kentucky Derby. He won the 2019 Preakness Stakes on War of Will, which Mark Casse trained. Trainer Chad Brown has never won the Kentucky Derby. He won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 2016. In 2017, he trained in Cloud Computing and won the Preakness Stakes.
Forever Young
Forever Young will be another top contender running in the Race for the Roses. This colt from Japan has never been beaten in a race. He won the UAE Derby on March 30, 2024, to win the right to participate in the Kentucky Derby.
The best finish a horse from Japan has ever enjoyed at the Derby is sixth place. Forever Young has been at Churchill Downs since April 6, 2024. Ryusei Sakai will ride this horse trained by Yoshito Yahagi. Trainer Yoshito Yahagi has never trained a horse for the Kentucky Derby. He brought Continuar to Run for the Roses last year but scratched him, citing subpar training. Jockey Ryusei Sakai has never ridden a horse in North America. The 25-year-old rider rode Continuar to three victories before his trainer scratched him last year. In his native Japan, he has won over 300 races out of 4,000 starts.
Catching Freedom
Iowa-owned Albaugh Family Stables had three horses in last year's Kentucky Derby, and this year, they return with Catching Freedom. He must be considered a top contender because he has already won the Louisiana Downs.
Brad Cox is the horse's trainer. Flavien Prat will ride him. This horse does better in longer races.
Therefore, he may have his best performance at the Belmont Stakes. He was purchased in Kentucky as a yearling for $575,000. Brad Cox is the trainer of two horses in the 150th Kentucky Derby. In addition to Catching Freedom, he also has Just a Touch. Jockey Flavien Prat officially won the 2019 Kentucky Derby, even though he crossed the finish line in second place.
The winner, Maximum Security, was disqualified for interfering with another horse during the race. Prat says that he wants to win this race very badly. This jockey has ridden in the Derby six times, and he finished in the top three five times.
Catalytic
Catalytic was bred by Fred W. Hertrich III in Kentucky. Saffie A. Joseph, Jr trains him. The horse has been raced three times. He finished second to Fierceness in the 2024 Florida Derby. His only win came in October at Gulfstream Park. He will be ridden by Jose Ortiz. Last year, Joseph saw two of his horses die in the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby. He also lost two horses that were not ready for the Derby.
After having four horses die in less than a week, officials banned him for an indefinite amount of time. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission reinstated him after finding no misconduct. During the Florida Derby, Julien Leparoux rode Catalytic. While praising his performance, Joseph said he decided to go with Ortiz because he is a more experienced jockey.
Kentucky Derby Odds and More
The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby will occur on May 4, 2024. Fierceness is the favorite to win the race, but the anticipated winner only wins about 33% of the time. Fierceness likes to get out in front early and stay there.
You may see Japan's Forever Young and Catalytic challenge him at the beginning of the race. Near the end of the race, which should last about two minutes, Sierra Leone may come on fast, but viewers will have to see if he has enough to overtake Fierceness.
Catching Freedom will need an outstanding performance to win the Triple Crown because he usually does better in longer races. Ensure you have your mint juleps and snacks ready for the Run for the Roses.