Favoured Fierceness Draws Post 17 for Kentucky Derby

Twenty horses and two also-eligibles were entered for the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4 at Churchill Downs on Saturday and post positions were drawn as the track’s 2024 spring meeting got underway.

From a media point of view, the most talked-about moment of the draw was favoured FIERCENESS (City of Light) drawing post 17, which has never yielded a Derby winner after 44 chances. Trainer Todd Pletcher said the Repole Stable colt will need a clean break to get a good position by the first turn.

Fierceness has been installed the 5-to-2 favourite and has John Velasquez riding.

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Meanwhile, SIERRA LEONE, the stone-cold closer, drew post 2 which guarantees he will be shuffled well back early. Possibly more significantly, the colt raised a ruckus when balking at the gate before the Blue Grass so it will be interesting to see if he gets restless being in the gate a while.

Sierra Leone, trained by Chad Brown with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, is 3-to-1.

“He’s just a touch farther in than I wanted but he didn’t get the one hole, so I’m okay with that,” said Brown. “With this particular horse, what I didn’t want was the nineteen or twenty. In fact, it would have been hard for him to drop over without losing ground, significant ground around the first turn. With Domestic Product, I thought it was a very good draw for him. He has a lot of natural speed, he should be in the second flight and I think that Irad (Ortiz Jr.) will have plenty of options from the fifteen for that long run down the stretch the first time to sort of position himself hopefully behind the half dozen speed horses.”

Third choice is CATCHING FREEDOM (Constitution), trained by Brad Cox, at 8-to-1 and he is also a stretch runner. He drew post 4. Cox, who trains Catching Freedom for the Albaugh Family Stables, also has the promising JUST A TOUCH (Justify) and ENCINO (Nyquist) in the Derby.

“Post positions are pretty overrated, in my opinion,” said Cox. “They all drew fine. If you’re a good enough horse you can overcome any post position. We can’t control posts so I like to keep things in perspective of what I can control, which is their training. They all worked well this morning and are training great going into the race. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to running all three horses.”

Buzz horses FOREVER YOUNG (Jpn) (Real Steel) and HONOR MARIE drew well. Forever Young, undefeated in five races and seeking to become the first Japanese horse to win the Derby, will start from post 11 and HONOR MARIE (Honor Code) drew post 7.

“Perfect spot, we’re ready to go,” said Honor Marie’s trainer Whit Beckman.

T O PASSWORD, another Japanese entrant, had his first jaunt around Churchill Downs on Saturday. The mount of champion Canadian rider KAZUSHI KIMURA is unbeaten in two races and he got into the Derby field by points from Japanese preps.

The Derby is race 12 on Saturday, May 4 with a post time of 6:57 p.m.

SATURDAY WORKS

Many Derby and Oaks starters had workouts on Saturday morning and Encino was quite impressive in his prep with catching Freedom. Encino, owned by Godolphin. was strong and eager in the late stages of a 5 furlong workout in 59.20, galloping out 6 furlongs in 1:12. The colt has won three of four, including the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes on dirt at Keeneland.

Sierra Leone worked inside of stablemate DOMESTIC PRODUCT (Practical Joke) and the pair were strong and smooth. With Kriss Bon in the irons for Sierra Leone and Tyler Gaffalione up on Domestic Product, the duo notched splits of :13, :24.80, :36.40 and galloped out in 1:13.20 and 1:26.20. Gaffalione is set to be aboard Sierra Leone on Derby Day, but has ridden Domestic Product in the past and was filling in for Irad Ortiz Jr., who had to be in New York.

Oaks fillies were also busy and the highlight was the speedy move by the grey filly LEMON MUFFIN (Collected), who drew post 6 in a 14-horse field (with two also eligibles). Among the reasons Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is emboldened about Lemon Muffin’s chances in the Kentucky Oaks (GI) is the clear preference she has for the Churchill Downs surface.

On Saturday, the Honeybee Stakes (GIII) winner flaunted how much she enjoys her time beneath the Twin Spires when she blazed five furlongs in :58.20 in her final major work in advance of the nation’s top race for three-year-old fillies. Breaking off solo during the 7:30 a.m. training period, Lemon Muffin posted splits of :11.20, :22, and :33.80 with a gallop out in 1:14.

The Oaks is race 11 on Friday, May 3 and post time is 5:51 p.m.

150th KENTUCKY DERBY –

1. Dornoch Danny Gargan Luis Sáez 20-1
2. Sierra Leone Chad Brown Tyler Gaffalione 3-1
3. Mystik Dan Kenny McPeek Brian Hernandez Jr. 20-1
4. Catching Freedom Brad Cox Flavien Prat 8-1
5. Catalytic Saffie Joseph Jr. José Ortiz 30-1
6. Just Steel D. Wayne Lukas Keith Asmussen 20-1
7. Honor Marie Whit Beckman Ben Curtis 20-1
8. Just a Touch Brad Cox Florent Géroux 10-1
9. Encino Brad Cox Axel Concepción 20-1
10. T O Password Daisuke Takayanagi Kazushi Kimura 30-1
11. Forever Young Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai 10-1
12. Track Phantom (b) Steve Asmussen Joel Rosario 20-1
13. West Saratoga Larry Demeritte Jesús Castañón 50-1
14. Endlessly Michael McCarthy Umberto Rispoli 30-1
15. Domestic Product Chad Brown Irad Ortiz Jr. 30-1
16. Grand Mo the First Víctor Barboza Jr. Emisael Jaramillo 50-1
17. Fierceness Todd Pletcher John Velázquez 5-2
18. Stronghold Phil D’Amato Antonio Fresu 20-1
19. Resilience Bill Mott Júnior Alvarado 20-1
20. Society Man (g) Danny Gargan Frankie Dettori 50-1
Also eligible
21. Epic Ride (ae) John Ennis Adam Beschizza
22. Mugatu (ae) Jeff Engler Joe Talamo

KENTUCKY OAKS FIELD

1. Tapit Jenallie, Eddie Milligan Jr., Emmanuel Esquivel, 30-1
2. Gin Gin, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 30-1
3. Where’s My Ring, Val Brinkerhoff, Jose Lezcano, 15-1
4. Regulatory Risk, Chad Brown, Jose Ortiz, 20-1
5. Thorpedo Anna, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 5-1
6. Lemon Muffin, D. Wayne Lukas, Keith Asmussen, 30-1
7. Fiona’s Magic, Michael Yates, Luis Saez, 30-1
8. Tarifa, Brad Cox, Flavien Prat, 7-2
9. Everland, Eric Foster, Abel Cedillo, 30-1
10. Into Champagne, Ian Wilkes, Julien Leparoux, 30-1
11. Ways and Means, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione, 5-1
12. Power Squeeze, Jorge Delgado, Daniel Centeno, 12-1
13. Just F Y I, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 9-2
14. Leslie’s Rose, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 4-1
Also eligible
15. Our Pretty Woman, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario
16. Candied, Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez