Preview: Horse racing-Fierceness the favorite for 150th Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs

01/05/2024 17:42

By Rory Carroll
       May 1 (Reuters) - The Kentucky Derby arrives at
Churchill Downs with Fierceness as the favorite but the bay colt
is expected to face stiff competition from speedy Sierra Leone
and Japan's Forever Young in the 150th Run for the Roses. 
    Fierceness (5-2) produced a dazzling display of speed to
notch a record 13-1/2 lengths victory at the Florida Derby and
if he breaks well from post 17 and has a clean trip, he should
be wearing the roses come Saturday evening in Louisville.  
    Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher and
ridden by three-time winner John Velazquez, Fierceness has been
untouchable when given room but has struggled in more physical
races, which is often the case in the 20-horse derby.
    Not far behind Fierceness in the odds is Blue Grass Stakes
winner Sierra Leone at 3-1. 
    While Fierceness is a strong starter, Sierra Leone is a deep
closer capable of storming from the back of the pack as he did
in his thrilling win at Keeneland in April. 
    Blue Grass Stakes runner-up Just a Touch (10-1) is another
powerful colt with huge potential and looking to etch his name
into history. 
    But the Brad Cox-trained horse is making only his fourth
start and will have to negotiate what could be a hot pace along
the 1 1/4-mile dirt track. 
    Undefeated Forever Young might be the most intriguing horse
in the field. 
    The Japanese colt has won five races on five different
tracks and most recently emerged the victor of an epic battle at
the UAE Derby in Dubai in late March. 
    But history is not on his side as UAE Derby champions have
gone winless in 19 starts at the Kentucky Derby. The
three-year-old thoroughbred has had to travel across the globe
to make it to Churchill Downs. 
    The Kentucky Derby is the longest continuously held sporting
event in the United States, staged annually since 1875 despite
two world wars, an economic depression and global pandemics. 
    Churchill Downs and the sport as a whole has struggled with
its public perception in recent years amid horse deaths related
to the illegal use of drugs. 
    Last year, 12 horses died in the weeks leading up to the
race and while Churchill Downs was cleared of any wrongdoing,
investigators failed to pinpoint a reason for the fatalities.
    The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown and
this year all three races will for the first time be regulated
under the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's
anti-doping program. 
    

 (Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles)
 ((Rory.Carroll@thomsonreuters.com Follow me on Twitter
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