10 Kentucky Derby trainers you need to know

Apr 25, 2024 Sara Dacus/TwinSpires.com

A Kentucky Derby win is a pinnacle achievement for trainers, and some of the most successful in the business do not have one on their resumes. Only four trainers saddling horses for the 2024 Run for the Roses have won it at least once. Here’s a closer look at ten of the trainers prepping for the race that you need to know.

D. Wayne Lukas

(Just Steel)

With four wins, D. Wayne Lukas is the trainer with the most Derby success. While he has had many horses make the cut in recent years, the Hall of Fame trainer’s last victory came in 1999. This year, he brings Just Steel. This son of Triple Crown winner Justify will be a long shot, but Lukas believes he could surprise the field.

Todd Pletcher

(Fierceness)

Todd Pletcher, another Hall of Fame trainer, has won the classic twice: in 2010 and in 2017. Last year, he brought the favorite Forte to Churchill Downs with owner Repole Stables. The colt scratched the morning of the race due to a bruised right front foot. This year, owner and trainer look for redemption with Fierceness, who will be the likely favorite. The bay colt’s three victories from five career starts have come at a combined margin of 31 lengths.

Bill Mott

(Resilience)

Bill Mott’s Derby victory that came in an unusual fashion: 65-1 longshot Country House was declared the winner 22 minutes after the conclusion of the race. During this time, the stewards determined that Maximum Security, who crossed the finish line first, veered out of his path, forcing other horses to dangerously interfere with each other. Mott, who is also in the Hall of Fame, has spoken about feeling like this victory has an asterisk by it. This year, he saddles Wood Memorial S. (G1) winner Resilience.

Brad Cox

(Catching Freedom, Just a Touch, Encino)

Brad Cox’s Derby win is even stranger than Mott’s. After nine months, he learned that Mandaloun, who finished second in 2021, was promoted to first after the disqualification of Medina Spirit due to a failed drug test. Cox, a Louisville native, did not have a winner’s circle moment. This year, he sends out three colts: Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Catching Freedom; Blue Grass S. (G1) and Gotham S. second-place finisher Just a Touch (another son of Justify); and Encino, who made it in by winning the last race on the Derby trail, the Lexington S. (G3).

Chad Brown

(Sierra Leone, Domestic Product)

The Mechanicville, N.Y., native who became interested in racing during family visits to Saratoga has won the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer four times, and he finished second in the 2018 Derby with Good Magic. Blue Grass S. (G1) and Risen Star S. (G2) winner Sierra Leone may be one of his strongest contenders yet. The son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner was purchased for $2.3 million. Brown also saddles Domestic Product, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby (G3).

Next stop: Kentucky Derby for SIERRA LEONE! 🌹

SIERRA LEONE takes the G1 Blue Grass S. at Keeneland! 🏆 @tyler_gaff pic.twitter.com/ai6eaHtBNM

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) April 6, 2024

Philip D’Amato

(Stronghold)

Prominent West Coast trainer Philip D’Amato will experience his first Kentucky Derby with Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Stronghold. D’Amato was an assistant to Mike Mitchell for eleven years and took over his barn when Mitchell retired at the end of 2013. Mitchell died from cancer in 2014. D’Amato has earned training titles at Santa Anita and Del Mar and experienced career high earnings in 2022.

Danny Gargan

(Dornoch, Society Man)

A Louisville native, Gargan grew up just outside the stable gate of Churchill Downs. He said it feels like a miracle for a smaller barn like his to have two entries. They are Dornoch, winner of the Remsen S. (G2) and Fountain of Youth S. (G2); and Society Man, who finished second in the Wood Memorial S. (G2). He has yet to secure a Grade 1 win.

Steve Asmussen

(Track Phantom)

Asmussen is the fourth Hall of Fame trainer to have a horse in the 2024 Derby. The winningest trainer of all time in North America, he has saddled 25 starters and has had three second-place finishers. This year, his contender is Track Phantom, who impressively won the first two preps at Fair Grounds and finished second and forth in the other two. His son, Keith Asmussen, will compete in his first Kentucky Derby, this time as a jockey for D. Wayne Lukas.

Larry Demeritte

(West Saratoga)

A native of the Bahamas, he became a successful trainer there, like his father. He moved to the United States in the mid 1970s, became a citizen, and started a small training operation in Lexington. He is known for selecting quality horses on a small budget. West Saratoga was purchased for $11,000. He won the very first race on the Road to the Derby, the Iroquois S. (G3), and it was Demeritte’s first graded stakes win. West Saratoga also earned points with a third place in the Sam F. Davis S. (G3) and a second place in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). This is Demeritte’s first Kentucky Derby, and he is the first Black trainer to enter a horse in 35 years.

Whit Beckman

(Honor Marie)

The son of an equine veterinarian, Beckman is another trainer who grew up in Louisville. He was an assistant to fellow contenders Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown. He went out on his own and trained in Saudi Arabia before beginning in America in 2021. Honor Marie gave him his first graded stakes win and his first trip to the Derby.