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Fierceness Tabbed 5-2 Morning-Line Favorite for Kentucky Derby
Florida Derby winner Fierceness drew post 17 on Saturday for the Kentucky Derby. He will have to overcome the history of the Run for the Roses, which will take place for the 150th time because no horse has won from the position in the starting gate.
There are 20 spots for horses in the gate for the first leg of the Triple Crown. Twenty-two horses were entered, with Epic Ride (21) and Mugatu (22) the also-eligibles.
Fierceness is coming off a 13-length victory in the Florida Derby and was made the 5-2 morning-line choice per Kentucky Derby odds.
The second choice in the Kentucky Derby is Sierra Leone, a closer, who drew post two.
Post Positions for the 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. pic.twitter.com/E2DFN5poae
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 27, 2024
The Derby is part of a stakes-filled card at Churchill Downs on May 4. It can be watched on NBC.
The Florida Derby victory by Fierceness:
Sierra Leone’s Blue Grass victory:
Early Derby Observations
There has to be concern about Fierceness bouncing off his huge Florida Derby win. His past performances show a pattern of a win and then a loss in his five career starts.
Breaking from post 17 means Fierceness will be heading for the front and should have plenty of company. Dornach, for one, drew the rail and his connections already have said their charge will be heading for the front.
Danny Gargan on Dornoch in PP 1: “I don’t think it’s the kiss of death. There is no speed on outside so hopefully he’ll break running and we’ll put him on the front end and see how it goes. We planned on keeping his face clean, now we’ll keep it real clean.”
— Alicia Hughes (@AHughesMedia) April 28, 2024
The biggest hurdle — hurdles? — for Sierra Leone will be his closing-style. In a field of 20, there is every chance for traffic problems when trying to make a huge run late in the Run for the Roses. That being taken into account, Sierra Leone keeps getting better every start and should be a menacing factor in the final quarter mile.
Live Long Shots
The Kentucky Derby brings 20 3-year-olds together. It makes for plenty of great horse racing odds if you don’t like the two favorites on the morning line.
Catching Freedom is one to watch at 8-1 from post four. The Louisiana Derby winner was within a couple of lengths of Sierra Leone when they met in the Risen Star.
Will this be the year a horse from Japan wins the Kentucky Derby? Forever Young comes in unbeaten in five starts and off a win in the UAE Derby. He is listed at 10-1 in the morning line for horse racing betting odds and the sheets numbers give him a big shot.
Dornoch drew the rail and is 20-1 on the morning line. He is the only horse to have finished ahead of Sierra Leone, winning the Remsen last year.
When it comes to the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, the place to place all your bets is BetUS, America’s Favorite Sportsbook.
