The countdown to the opening Triple Crown race of the 2024 season in the United States is well underway, with the Kentucky Derby taking place on the first Saturday in May.
It promises to be a wide-open renewal of the Triple Crown race this year at Churchill Downs, with a number of trainers looking to land a historic honor in the 150th anniversary of the world famous race.
Some of the biggest yards in the United States will likely run multiple runners in the race, meaning that they will stand more chance of landing victory. However, who are some of the leading trainers who could be set to land a historic victory in the Kentucky Derby this year? Check out how the odds look like: twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/odds/
Chad Brown
Chad Brown could be one of the leading trainers in terms of claiming a Kentucky Derby victory this year. The American currently has the favorite in the betting for the Triple Crown race, with Sierre Leone boasting very strong form lines following his victory in the G2 Risen Star Stakes. Domestic Product is another potential runner that could take his chance in the Triple Crown race.
Brown is yet to train the winner of the Derby, but he has previously claimed victories in the Preakness Stakes, landing success in both 2017 and 2022. He is currently enjoying an excellent season after landing wins in 38 races this season to amass earnings of over $3 million.
Danny Gargan
One of the biggest stories at the Derby this year could come in the form of Danny Gargan. The trainer holds extremely solid claims in the opening Triple Crown race with Dornoch, who has progressed effortless from start to start so far this season.
His place in the race at Churchill Downs already looks secured after wins in the G2 Remsen and G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, with Dornoch getting the better of Sierra Leone in the former. The trainer has won a number of graded stakes races so far in his career, but the Kentucky Derby could produce his first Grade 1 victory, which would be a success that would make global headlines for all the right reasons.
Brad Cox
Brad Cox is no stranger to the winners’ circle, and he has a number of leading contenders in the outright betting for the Derby at this stage. The trainer is enjoying another reliable season on track, winning on 54 occasions and picking up over $5 million in prize money to date. The betting would indicate that Catching Freedom is Cox’s best chance of a Derby win at this stage, with the three-year-old making a considerable step forward when landing the G2 Louisiana Derby on his previous start.
However, he is by no means his only live chance at this stage, with Timberlake also among the front runners in the betting. Cox is one of the world’s great trainers, and he will be chasing a second Derby success in 2024 following Madaloun’s victory in 2021. In the same season, the 44-year-old also landed victory in the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality.
Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher always ranks among the leading contenders to consider when it comes to assessing the Derby prospects in a season. The 56-year-old has achieved success in the Classics already during his career, landing victories in the 2010 and 2017 editions of the Derby with Super Saver and Always Dreaming, respectively. Pletcher has also landed further Triple Crown success with Rags to Riches, Tapwrit, Mo Donegal, and Palace Malice in the Belmont Stakes.
The American is already enjoying another lucrative season after winning over $3.6 million in prize money over the opening four months of 2024. His leading chance in the Derby this year could come in the form of Fierceness, who ended the 2023 season on a high point when scoring in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. But, Pletcher will need to use all his experience to get the three-year-old back on track after his sub-par return to the track when only third in the G3 Holy Bull.
Claude McGaughey
One of the most heart-warming winning trainers in the Kentucky Derby this year would be 73-year-old Claude McGaughey. The long-time trainer was inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2004, and he has recorded over 2,000 career victories to this point.
McGaughey famously trained the winner of the Derby back in 2013 with Orb, with that success coming a long time after his first Triple Crown win in 1989 with Champion Easy Goer. He has a very exciting contender on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at this stage, with Conquest Warrior doing very little wrong on his two starts this season. His most recent victory at Gulfstream Park in early March set tongues wagging, and he could be a leading Derby hope if excelling on his step into graded company in the G1 Florida Derby.
