Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen can claim the one prize that has eluded him during his record-breaking career when he sends out longshot Track Phantom in the 2024 Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. The 58-year-old Asmussen is the winningest trainer of all time in North America, with more than 10,400 career victories, but he has never won the Run for the Roses. With 25 previous starters, his best finish is second (Lookin At Lee in 2017 and Epicenter in 2022). This year, he saddles Track Phantom, who is a 20-1 longshot in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds. Todd Pletcher, who has won the Kentucky Derby twice, sends out the favorite, Fierceness, who is 5-2 in the 20-horse 2024 Kentucky Derby field.
The 2024 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. With the Kentucky Derby annually featuring the largest field in North American racing, you’ll want to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, considering the success she’s had handicapping this race.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Yu enters this year’s Kentucky Derby on a roll. She correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup. In the month leading up to the Kentucky Derby, she predicted Stronghold’s upset win in the Santa Anita Derby and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap.
For the first leg of the Triple Crown, Yu has handicapped the 2024 Kentucky Derby lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu is fading Fierceness, even though he is the 5-2 Kentucky Derby favorite. Fierceness is trying to become just the third Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to win the Kentucky Derby the following year. The previous two were Street Sense, who won the 2007 Derby, and Nyquist (2016).
But the Juvenile win, as well as his Florida Derby triumph, came in races with soft paces, a scenario that Yu does not foresee on Saturday. “I can’t see him being a lonely leader again in the Derby, and he has thrown in the towel the two times someone eyeballed him,” Yu told SportsLine. See who else to fade here.
Another curveball: Yu is high on Just a Touch, even though he’s a longshot at 10-1 in the Kentucky Derby odds 2024. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. This lightly raced son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify has plenty of history to overcome. Just two horses since 1882 have won the Kentucky Derby without having raced at age 2: Justify and Mage last year. That’s one of the reasons Just a Touch is a 10-1 longshot.
However, Yu likes the talent he has shown in his three career starts. In his last start, he pressed a hot pace in the Blue Grass Stakes and stayed on to finish second behind the late-running Sierra Leone, who benefited from the early fractions. “This is the kind of year that a horse with one lifetime win can capture the blanket of roses with the right trip,” Yu told SportsLine. You can see all of Yu’s 2024 Kentucky Derby bets here.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks
Moreover, Yu’s top pick is a horse who “will be happy to get the added ground” at Churchill Downs. She’s also high on a massive double-digit longshot who “blew my doors off.” She is including these horses in her 2024 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which 2024 Kentucky Derby horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2024 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has a long history of success in the Kentucky Derby, and find out.
