The path to the Kentucky Derby is getting exciting as some horses have already qualified for the big race in 2024 through early races. One of the trainers, Christophe Clement, who won a big race before, might have another strong contender for the Kentucky Derby this year. Deterministic, one of his horses, won a race called the Gotham Stakes, which earned him 50 points and moved him up to fifth place in the standings.
The Kentucky Derby is set to happen on May 4th at Churchill Downs. Before his big win, Deterministic was seen as a very unlikely winner, with odds of 93-1. Another horse named Sierra Leone is currently the favorite to win, with odds of 6-1. If you bet on “all other three-year-olds” winning, you could win at odds of 5-1. Before you decide who to bet on, it’s a good idea to check out predictions and bets from a horse racing expert named Jody Demling on SportsLine.
Jody Demling is a well-known figure in the horse racing world. He’s been writing, talking, and betting on races for a long time. In the past six years, he correctly predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four times, which is pretty impressive. In 2022, he even got the exact order of the top two horses right, with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also predicted Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that same year.
Demling is known for being really good at predicting the winners of big horse races, like the Kentucky Derby in 2024. He’s done really well in the past, hitting 10 out of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he picked the winners of both races correctly almost every time in the last 15 years, except for five times.
He’s also predicted 10 out of the last 19 winners of the Preakness, another big horse race. In 2023, he even got the winner, exacta, and superfecta picks right, showing he understands when a favorite is likely to win or if there might be a big upset.
If you want to see his picks and predictions for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, you can find them over at SportsLine.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising picks for the 2024 Kentucky Derby is to not bet on Fierceness, even though he’s considered one of the favorites with odds of 16-1. Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Mike Repole, won a big race called the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2023, making him the first horse in his group to earn over $1 million in his career. However, he hasn’t done as well in other important races.
After winning his first race at Saratoga in August when he was two years old, Fierceness didn’t do very well in the Champagne Stakes last October, finishing in seventh place. Then, at the beginning of his three-year-old season, he came in third place in the 2024 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Fierceness needs to do well in the 2024 Florida Derby to have a chance to compete in the Kentucky Derby. You can find out which other horses to avoid for the 2024 Kentucky Derby over at SportsLine.
Another surprising pick from Demling is to bet on Honor Marie, even though he’s considered a longshot with odds of 36-1. This horse could bring in a big payout for anyone willing to take a chance. Honor Marie’s racing career started when he went from last place to first in a race called a maiden special weight last September. In his second race, he finished second at Keeneland in an allowance race. He really caught people’s attention when he won the Kentucky Jockey Club race in November 2023, proving himself as a serious contender for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
By winning that race, Honor Marie earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. He had been improving in his first few races, but he didn’t do as well in the 2024 Risen Star, finishing in fifth place. However, Demling still believes in Honor Marie and thinks he’s being overlooked after that race. He suggests betting on him as an early longshot option for the Kentucky Derby. You can find out which other horses to bet on over at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is really excited about another huge longshot horse that he thinks has what it takes to win the Kentucky Derby and surprise everyone on race day. He’s revealing which horse it is, along with his complete predictions for the 2024 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
If you’re wondering which horse will win the Kentucky Derby in 2024 and which big underdog you should do horse races bets on, take a look at the latest odds below, and then head over to SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby. Demling is an expert who has correctly predicted 10 Derby-Oaks doubles, so his insights are definitely worth checking out.
Learn more about the intriguing world of online betting and discover What is 4rabet?.
Rank, horse, points
1. Timberlake, 66
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Cristian Torres
Sire: Into Mischief
Last race: Won Grade 2 Rebel on Feb. 24 at Oaklawn
Likely next race: Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30 at Oaklawn or Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland
2. Dornoch, 60
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Luis Saez
Sire: Good Magic
Last race: Won Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 2 at Gulfstream
Likely next race: Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30 at Gulfstream or Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland
3. Domestic Product, 60
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Sire: Practical Joke
Last race: Won Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9
Likely next race: Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland or Grade 2 Wood on April 6 at Aqueduct
4. Sierra Leone, 55
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Sire: Gun Runner
Last race:Won Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds
Likely next race: Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland
5. Track Phantom, 55
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Sire: Quality Road
Last race: Second in Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds
Likely next race: Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23 at Fair Grounds