Kentucky Derby Colors 2024: What Silks Are The ‘Run For The Roses’ Jockeys Wearing?

With 20 horses hurtling around Churchill Downs, knowing the Kentucky Derby colors beforehand can be a big help when tracking your bets through the race.

Therefore, with that in mind, we’ve got the jockey silks for ALL the 20 Kentucky Derby horses below – meaning you can bone-up on which colors to look out for as soon as the gates open for the 150th renewal of the Run For The Roses.

Kentucky Derby Colors 2024: Why Do Jockeys Wear Different Silks?

As well as each Kentucky Derby entry having a post position draw and program number to keep tabs on each horse through the race, every runner will also carry a set of colors or jockey silks.

These Kentucky Derby colors are associated to the owners of each horse. For example, Mike Repole of Repole Stable owns one of the favored runners with the best Kentucky Derby betting sites in Fierceness.

Fellow market principal Sierra Leone, meanwhile, carries silks better known across the pond. They are the navy blue colors of Sue Magnier, wife of John Magnier of the Coolmore owner-breeders who have Aidan O’Brien as their retained trainer in Ireland.

Expected Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness will carry the famous Repole orange and blue colors (see below) with three-time Run For The Roses winning jockey John Velazquez sporting the silks.

Therefore, unless an owner has more than one horse in the race, each horse will carry a unique set of Kentucky Derby colors.

This year, we’ve 20 different owners. But, in the past, if one does have more than one horse then a different colored jockey’s cap is used to differentiate between the runners.

Note: Betting odds are subject to change and any late scratchings could result in post positions moving.

Kentucky Derby Colors 2024: Silks and Profiles For All 20 Horses

See below the full Kentucky Derby colors for each runner heading to post on Saturday May 4.

DORNOCH

Dornoch heads into the race as the most searched for Kentucky Derby runner in 2024 and will be piloted by one of the more experienced jockeys Luis Saez, who has ridden in the race ten times in the past – but is yet to win.

Last seen running a gallant fourth in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland behind one of the big Kentucky Derby fancies Sierra Leone.

Is a winner of 50% of his career races (6), with his big highlights coming in taking the G2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct last December and the Fountain Of Youth at Gulfstream Park this March.

Is also the only horse to have beaten Sierra Leone (Remsen Stakes) but life won’t be easy from post position 1 as the last winner from this gate was Ferdinand in 1986.

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SIERRA LEONE 

The Chad Brown team are yet to win the Kentucky Derby winner, but the odds with the best Kentucky Derby racebooks suggest they have a top chance of breaking that duck with Sierra Leone.

This Gun Runner colt will come into the race having tasted defeat only once from his four career starts.

He was also the winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in early April, where he had Just A Touch (2nd) and Dornoch (4th) in behind. Will need a top five finish to smash through the $1m career earnings but is another with a bad post position to overcome (2).

The last winner from gate 2 was the Steve Cauthen-ridden Affirmed in 1978.

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MYSTIK DAN

This Ken McPeek Kentucky Derby runner was last seen winning the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in February and adding a third-place finish to that in the Arkansas Derby last time out at the same venue.

Just Steel was second that day, so Mystik Dan has got a bit of ground to make up on that front but is also a proven winner at Churchill Down when landing a Maiden Special Weight there last November.

Has been handed post position 3 and the Kentucky Derby trends tell us there’s only been one winner from this gate since 1994.

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CATCHING FREEDOM 

This Brad Cox-trained colt is the fourth richest from the runners looking at the 2024 Kentucky Derby horses with the most career earnings – with just shy of $900,000 already won.

Most of those dollars for Catching Freedom came when taking the Louisiana Derby last time out at Fair Grounds. The last horse to win that race (6th) and win at Churchill Downs was Mandaloun in 2021, who was also trained by Brad Cox.

Horses from post position four have won only one of the last 30 runnings of the Kentucky Derby.

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CATALYTIC 

Having banked just over $200k then, Catalytic is one of the runners with the fewest earnings in this year’s race.

That said, he’s only raced three times, with the last of those a second in the Florida Derby – which is often billed as a decent Kentucky Derby prep race. However, he was just over 13 lengths adrift of the winner that day – Fierceness, so has a fair bit of ground to make up.

On a plus, horses from gate 5 have won four of the last 30 runnings for the Run For The Roses.

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JUST STEEL

Just Steel is trained by veteran handler D. Wayne Lukas, who has four Kentucky Derby successes under his belt. The first of those big Churchill Downs wins came back in 1988 with Winning Colors. He added Thunder Gulch (1995) and Grindstone (1996), while his most was Charismatic in 1999.

This colt is also bred by Triple Crown winner Justify and is one of the most experienced in this year’s line-up with 11 career outings.

Two of those have been wins and was last seen taking silver in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park at the end of March.

Will come from post position 6, which has seen just one winner since 1994.

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HONOR MARIE

Honor Marie has won just over $500k in total prize money and won two of his five starts. He was last in action running second to in the Louisiana Derby to Catching Freedom at Fair Grounds in March.

The return to Churchill Downs looks a huge positive having won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at the course last November and his overall form figures at the track read 1-2-1.

Will be ridden by former UK-based jockey Ben Curtis, who is now riding in the US and comes from gate 7, where there have been three winnings in the last 30 runnings.

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JUST A TOUCH 

Just A Touch is another runner for the Brad Cox team, who have won the Kentucky Derby once before. Has only raced three times in the past so should be open to plenty of improvement and is another in the race that is bred by former Triple Crown winner Justify.

Was only 1½ lengths behind Sierra Leone (2nd) in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland last time out and from a post position with a good record in the race (8) could be one of the lively Kentucky Derby picks to take into the 2024 race.

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ENCINO (Scratched)

Encino is a Nyquist colt that is lightly-raced with only four career runs. Has, however, banked just shy of $400k with three wins to his name.

Is another trained by the 2021 Kentucky Derby winning yard of Brad Cox and this Godolphin-owned entry should also be open to a lot more improvement having taken a step in the right direction last time when winning the G3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

However, Encino was scratched from the race on Tuesday April 30th – meaning the first reserve Epic Ride has taken his place.

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T O PASSWORD

One of two runners for Japan in the 2024 Kentucky Derby – qualified for Churchill Downs via the ‘Japan Road To The Kentucky Derby’ series. Will be the countries second string runner though with his form so far not as good as what Forever Young has shown.

Having said that, T O Password has only raced twice and will, therefore, be open to more and was a nice winner of the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama last time out.

Will come out of gate 9, which has seen no winners in the last 30 runnings – Giacomo in 2005.

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FOREVER YOUNG (JPN)

Japan’s main player in the 2024 Kentucky Derby as they look for their first win in the Run For The Roses to create US and Japanese racing history. Is yet to lose a race and will come into the 2024 Kentucky Derby unbeaten from five starts.

Has also already got two Derby race successes to his name, after winning the Saudi and UAE versions – the last of which qualified Forever Young for this. If he can win, will become only the sixth non-US bred Kentucky Derby winner and the first from Japan.

Will, however, come out of gate 10, which has had only one winner from this Kentucky Derby post position in the last 30 runnings.

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TRACK PHANTOM

Track Phantom has run seven times and banked just over $400k in total prize money, which have mainly come from three wins.

The biggest of those wins came in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at the beginning of 2024 at Fair Grounds and has since run well in the Risen Star (2nd) and Louisiana Derby (4th).

Trainer Steve Asmussen is still looking for his first Kentucky Derby win and post position 11 is not ideal with no wins since 1994.

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WEST SARATOGA 

West Saratoga will be another of the more experienced 2024 Kentucky Derby runners with 10 career runs (2 wins). The Larry W. Demeritte runner has finished outside the first four just once when fifth in the G1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last year.

His big career success to date came in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes and the plus is that was run at Churchill Downs, where his overall form figures sit at 2-2-1.

Was last seen running second in the Jeff Ruby behind Endlessly at the end of March, so has some ground to make up there. While gate 12 has not had a winner in the last 30 runnings.

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ENDLESSLY

This Michael W. McCarthy runner has a decent ‘wins-to-runs’ ratio, with only one loss from his six starts. That defeat came in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November but has since returned to winning ways twice this year.

The most recent of those wins for Endlessly came in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in March, where he had West Saratoga behind and a race the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike finished third in winning the opening US Triple Crown race.

Has been handed gate 13, where there has been just one winner in the last 30 runnings.

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DOMESTIC PRODUCT

The likely second string from the Chad Brown team but, despite this, has fair form to his name with two career wins and just over $300k won. Raced second in the Holy Bull Stakes back in February and took a step forward on that to win the Tampa Bay Derby last time out.

More on his plate here but Domestic Product is a proven Derby winner so can’t be discounted and hails from gate 14 where we’ve not had a single winner since 1994.

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GRAND MO THE FIRST

Another of this year’s Kentucky Derby runners that that raced in his season’s Florida Derby – when third and about 16 lengths behind the winner Fierceness.

Before that Grand Mo The First won his connections more prize money when third in the Tampa Bay Derby in March. Needs a step up based on his two career wins coming at lower levels and is so far 0-from-4 at Listed of Graded level.

Gate 15 also has a very good record though – with five wins in the last 30 runnings.

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FIERCENESS

From the Todd Pletcher barn, who have had two previous Kentucky Derby winners – (Super Saver, 2010) and (Always Dreaming ,2017). Most racebooks have this talented 3 year-old as the 2024 favorite and it’s not hard to see why after his Florida Derby 13 1/2 length romp.

Fierceness also won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last term at Santa Antia and represents the Mike Reople team, who had Forte scratched from the race 12 months ago late on.

Had been given gate 17 but is now running from 16. This is better news for his backers as we’ve seen five winners from this stall in the last 30 years.

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STRONGHOLD

This Philip D’Amato-trained Ghostzapper colt has won 50% of his six career starts and won $827,000 in the process. Stronghold is yet to finish outside the first two in his career and already a two-time Derby winner.

Those successes came in the Sunland Derby in February and more recently when landed the Santa Anita Derby – a race that both California Chrome (2014) and I’ll Have Another (2012) both won before going onto win the Kentucky Derby.

The big negative, however, is the draw. He’s been handed the dreaded gate 17, which is yet to produce a single Kentucky Derby winner in the history of the race.

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RESILIENCE 

Trainer William Mott’s only Kentucky Derby success came in 2019 with Country House, who was elevated to the winners’ podium after first-past-the-post Maximum Security was disqualified.

The barn will be looking to add to that win with this Into Mischief colt, who has banked just short of $500k in career winnings.

Most of this prize haul came from running fourth in the Risen Star Stakes in February and then winning the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct in early April.

Resilience will come out of gate 18, where there’s been no winners since 1994.

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SOCIETY MAN 

Society Man will be the ride for Frankie Dettori, who is now riding in the US after doing a retirement U-Turn last year.

This horse finished 8th in the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct earlier this year but has built on that with his first career success in a Maiden Special Weight at the same venue. Ran second in the Wood Memorial last time, when finishing 2 ¼ lengths second to Resilience and has since been gelded.

Connections will be hoping can eke out a bit more improvement now having ‘the chop’ and will be looking to give Dettori his first win in the race in what will only be his second ride in it.

Drawn wide in stall 19 though, which will make life hard for Dettori, but this post position has seen two winners in the last 30 years.

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EPIC RIDE

Reserve that made it into the race after Encino was taken out on Tuesday and will be ridden by former UK-based jockey Adam Beschizza.

Has won just over a quarter of a million dollars in career earnings, with most of this coming with a win in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway back in February and then added a second-place finish in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at the same venue.

This John Ennis-trained colt improved on that run when third in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland – just 5 1/4 lengths behind one of the main Kentucky Derby fancies Sierra Leone. He’ll run from gate 20, the same berth as Rich Strike, who won in 2022.