Twenty horses will bolt out of the starting gate Saturday night at Churchill Downs in the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Planning to bet but still unsure which horses to place money on? The Courier Journal asked some horse racing experts for their insight after last Saturday’s draw.
Here are their picks to win this year’s Run for the Roses:
Fred Cowgill, WLKY sports anchor
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “I’ll be stepping aside at the end of May after 38 years on the job, so this is extra special. Sierra Leone has done everything right. He’s a nose away from being unbeaten. He’s a monster come-from-behind horse. He’s going to have to navigate a bunch of traffic, but that’s the Kentucky Derby.”
Paul Miles, WHAS Radio
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “Winner of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington earlier this year. He had a tough time getting into the starting gate for that race, but he won. I think he can get the 1 1/4 mile on Derby Day.”
Jody Demling, CBSSports.com
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “Fierceness is probably the best horse in the race; no question he has got the best speed. One drew outside, one drew inside; one closes, one likes the speed. I think they meet in the end, and Sierra Leone catches Fierceness right on the wire, and it’s a great Derby 150.”
Alicia Hughes, Gaming Today horse racing reporter
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “I think he has the fewest amount of questions around him, compared to some of the other top contenders. I think, on paper, Fierceness is the best horse on figures, but we don’t know which version of him is going to show up. I’m going to stick with the horse that has been the most visually impressive to me so far, Sierra Leone.”
Eric Crawford, WDRB sports
Winner: Fierceness
Comment: “I think he is significantly better. Even if he runs his second-best race, I think he wins. As far as the next, it gets a little tougher for me, but I think the second-best horse is Sierra Leone.”
Dominique Yates, WLKY sports reporter
Winner: Fierceness
Comment: “Even though that 17 spot is a little bit tricky, a little bit too far on the outside. This horse has great speed and looked great on the track at Churchill Downs all week.”
Darren Rogers, Churchill Downs communications senior director
Winner: Just a Touch
Comment: “He’s only had three starts. He’s a little bit like last year’s winner Mage, where he’s playing late in the game. If you want to do it akin to maybe college basketball, Fierceness might be a stud senior, but Just a Touch might be that hot-shot freshman who might be good enough to take it all. If I had to bet, I’m going Just a Touch because of the odds, but Fierceness is going to be very tough to beat.”
Dan Dry, KentuckyDerby.com photographer
Winner: Mystik Dan
Comment: “Hey, since my name is Dan, I got to go with Mystik Dan. Why not?”
Travis Stone, Churchill Downs track announcer
Winner: Just a Touch
Comment: “The Blue Grass was a sharp pace; he was right on top of it. Fierceness is going to be tough, though.”
Kevin Kerstein, Churchill Downs communications
Winner: Honor Marie
Comment: “A long shot in the Kentucky Derby for Louisville native Whit Beckman. These connections have invested so much into the horse race industry. This horse is doing better than I’ve seen any other horse on the racetrack doing.”
Kendrick Haskins and John Boel, WAVE News
Winner: Fierceness
Comment: “It’s tough when the two favorites get the worst draws they could possibly get. I am going to go for history and say Fierceness becomes the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby from the 17 hole.”
Robert Sanchez, Dominican Republic reporter
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “He got a lot of versatility, he got a good combination with (jockey) Tyler Gaffalione. He won in the Risen Star and the Blue Grass.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and his wife, Rachel
Winner: Sierra Leone
Comment: “We are rooting for Sierra Leone.”
Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2024 expert picks from local, national media members
