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The Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races are complete and that means that it’s full steam ahead to the 2024 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 4. Even with the decision already made that Timberlake would bypass the 150th Run for the Roses, trainer Brad Cox could have three entrants in the 2024 Kentucky Derby field. Catching Freedom, Just A Touch and Encino are all qualified on points and now Cox and the ownership groups of those horses simply have to decide whether they want to take a shot at immortality.
Catching Freedom is 8-1 in the latest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds, while Just A Touch is 20-1 and Encino is 350-1. Fierceness is the 3-1 favorite in the 2024 Kentucky Derby futures, followed by Road to the Kentucky Derby standings leader Sierra Leone at 7-2. Before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling. 
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year. 
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2024. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 years. He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta and superfecta picks in 2023, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, with the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
One of Demling’s surprising 2024 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Fierceness, even though he’s the top favorite and just won the Florida Derby. With a 110 Beyer Speed Figure en route to the win at Gulfstream Park that towers over this year’s crop of three-year-olds, it’s easy to see the potential in this Todd Pletcher-trained son of City of Light by Stay Thirsty mare Nonna Bella.
However, consistency has been an issue for this undoubtedly talented colt. After breaking his maiden in his first start at Saratoga, Fierceness finished a disappointing seventh in the Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct. He followed with an unbelievable showing on his way to a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but then opened his three-year-old season with another dud, finishing third in the Holy Bull Stakes. So which Fierceness will we get at Churchill Downs? See which other 2024 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Resilience, even though he’s a 35-1 longshot. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Resilience established himself as one of the 2024 Kentucky Derby contenders when he won by more than two lengths in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct earlier this month. The Bill Mott-trained horse had previously competed in one graded stakes race, finishing fourth in the Risen Star in February.
However, that was a loaded field that featured horses like Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom, and Resilience was a close fourth place. Jockey John Velazquez said Resilience lost focus in that race, but the addition of blinkers made a difference in the Wood Memorial. Demling believes the betting market did not make enough of an adjustment following that race, identifying Resilience as one of his favorite 2024 Kentucky Derby longshots. See which other horses to back at SportsLine. 
Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who “keeps getting better and better.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2024 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2024, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who nailed 10 Derby-Oaks doubles.
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