2024 Kentucky Derby post positions set: Here’s the full list
The 2024 Kentucky Derby is quickly approaching.
Post positions were drawn Saturday ahead of the 150th running of the annual horse race, which is set to take place on May 4 at the legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville. The draw that determines the starting gate for each horse traditionally takes place Monday before the race, but the draw was held a full week ahead this year.
Post 5 and Post 10 have produced more winners since the Kentucky Derby began using a starting gate in 1940, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. But post position doesn’t solely determine success – Mage won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:01 with veteran jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado from Post 8, one of the least favorable positions.
The Kentucky Derby officially kicks off the first leg of the Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes on May 18 and Belmont Stakes in early June.
2024 Kentucky Derby post positions
The starting post position for each horse is determined by a draw, where one official pulls a horse’s name out of a pile, while another official draws a gate number out of a separate pile.
Here’s where each horse landed, in addition to the horse’s trainer, jockey and odds:
1. Dornoch, Danny Gargan, Luis Saez, 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., Jose 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 Geroux, 10-1 9. Encino, Brad Cox, Axel Concepcion, 20-1
10. T O Password, Daisuke Takayanagi, Kazushi Kimura, 30-1
11. Forever Young, Yoshito Yahagi, Ryusei Sakai, 10-1
12. Track Phantom, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 20-1 13. West Saratoga, Larry Demeritte, Jesus Castanon, 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, Victor Barboza Jr., Emisael Jaramillo, 50-1
17. Fierceness, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 5-2
18. Stronghold, Phil D’Amato, Antonio Fresu, 20-1
19. Resilience, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 20-1
20. Society Man, Danny Gargan, Frankie Dettori, 50-1
Epic Ride and Mugatu are also eligible if another competitor scratches.