Horse racing will take center stage in the betting world on Saturday at Churchill Downs as the 2024 Kentucky Derby heads to post. Nearly $190 million in handle was collected in Kentucky Derby betting in 2023, and that number could be surpassed for this year's race. The interest ramps up following the 2024 Kentucky Derby post draw, which was held last Saturday. Fierceness, breaking from post No. 17, is the favorite at 5-2 in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds. He'll draw plenty of 2024 Kentucky Derby bets, but after Mage stunned last year as a 15-1 longshot, bettors will search the 2024 Kentucky Derby lineup for potential longshot winners.
Which 2024 Kentucky Derby horses could stun this year, and which of the 2024 Kentucky Derby favorites should you fade? 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 is coming off an impressive victory at the Florida Derby in March. Fierceness also won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but he followed that performance up with a disappointing third-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes in early February despite being the heavy favorite.
Fierceness finished seventh in the Champagne Stakes last October and has never won two consecutive starts. In addition, Fierceness will break from the No. 17 post at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the only one never to have produced a winner at Churchill Downs. At 5-2 odds, Yu doesn't suggest using Fierceness in your 2024 Kentucky Derby bets.
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 one of the least experienced 2024 Kentucky Derby horses. He has started just three times; only Japanese invader T O Password (two starts) has fewer starts.
Yu likes that Just a Touch drew perfectly in the No. 8 post. From there, he figures to sit behind the speed horses and save ground going into the first turn. "This is the kind of year that a horse with one lifetime win can capture the blanket of roses with the right trip," Yu told SportsLine. 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 "showed some grit" in his last race. 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
| 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 | SEE PICKS |
| 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 |
