Kentucky Derby Betting GuideKentucky Derby Betting Guide

Betting Guide

2024 Kentucky Derby Jockeys

By TVG Staff
Updated January, 23 2024

On Saturday, May 4, the 150th Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. Up to 20 of the most promising three-year-old Thoroughbreds of the year will line up in the starting gate to take their chance at a seven-figure payday, the iconic blanket of roses, and a spot on the immortal list of Kentucky Derby winners. Part of being a smart bettor is getting to know the 2024 Kentucky Derby jockeys!

Hundreds of different bets are available on the race. Our own Kentucky Derby picks involve the horses, but betting on the winning jockey is also increasing in popularity as horseplayers look to find different wagering angles.

Live Derby Week Coverage on FanDuel TV+

Watch FanDuel Racing’s live, commercial-free, racing coverage of Derby Week on FanDuel TV+ beginning Saturday, 4/29 – Thursday 5/4. FanDuel TV will also be on-site at Churchill Downs providing comprehensive coverage, including the latest news, analysis, and handicapping insights in the days leading up to the Derby.

Current 2024 Kentucky Derby Jockey Odds Table

The 2024 Kentucky Derby field has yet to be drawn, but here’s a look back at 2023’s jockeys

This includes the scratches of three horses on Thursday. Practical Move spiked a temperature. Lord Miles is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who has had all of his horses scratched at Churchill Downs. Continuar was scratched due to his trainer not being pleased with his training. This lets Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero, and King Russell and their jockeys into the main field.


PostHorseJockeyML
1Hit ShowManuel Franco30-1
2VerifyingTyler Gaffalione15-1
3Two Phil’sJareth Loveberry12-1
4Confidence GameJames Graham20-1
5Tapit TriceLuis Saez5-1
6KingsbarnsJose Ortiz12-1
7ReincarnateJohn Velazquez50-1
8MageJavier Castellano15-1
9SkinnerJuan HernandezSCR
10Practical MoveRamon VazquezSCR
11DisarmJoel Rosario30-1
12Jace’s RoadFlavien Prat50-1
13Sun ThunderBrian Hernandez, Jr.50-1
14Angel of EmpireFlavien Prat8-1
15ForteIrad Ortiz, Jr.3-1
16Raise CainGerardo Corrales50-1
17Derma SotogakeChristophe Lemaire10-1
18Rocket CanJunior Alvarado30-1
19Lord MilesPaco LopezSCR
20ContinuarRyusei SakaiSCR
21Cyclone MischiefCorey Lanerie30-1
22Mandarin HeroKazushi Kimura20-1
23King RussellRafael Bejarano50-1

As the Kentucky Derby draws closer, the jockey picture will become clearer. Several jockeys have recently ridden multiple Kentucky Derby entrants, giving them the choice of which horse they think has the best chance. Horses these jockeys do not choose will be open for other riders, who may have ridden them before or may be completely new to the horse. At this point in time, jockey odds are almost exclusively based on the odds of their Kentucky Derby contender.

2024 Kentucky Derby Jockeys

Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Horse: Forte (3-1 ML, Post 15)

One of the best jockeys in America, Ortiz won 3 consecutive Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey from 2018-2020, and another in 2022. At just 29 years old, Ortiz already has 14 wins at the Breeders’ Cup, including three in 2021. The jockey won the 2016 Belmont with Creator and has also hit the board in the Preakness, though he is looking for his first money finish in the Derby.

Flavien Prat

Horse: Angel of Empire (8-1 ML, Post 14)

Flavien Prat won his first Kentucky Derby in 2019 with Country House, who was placed first after Maximum Security was disqualified. Though Prat has only ridden in five editions of the Kentucky Derby so far, his jockey record in the race is excellent: he has hit the board four times. In addition to Country House, those money finishes for this jockey include a third-place outing with Battle of Midway in 2017, a second-place award with Hot Rod Charlie, who crossed the wire third in 2021 but was promoted after the disqualification of Medina Spirit, and a third-place run with Zandon in 2022.

Luis Saez

Horse: Tapit Trice (5-1 ML, Post 5)

Saez missed out on Kentucky Derby glory in 2019 when he crossed the wire first with Maximum Security but was disqualified for interference on the far turn. The jockey has a Belmont win with eventual 2021 Champion Three Year Old Essential Quality, who was also placed third in the Kentucky Derby after Medina Spirit’s disqualification, and a Preakness second with Bravazo in 2018, proving he can show up on the sport’s biggest days.

Jareth Loveberry

Horse: Two Phil’s (12-1 ML, Post 3)

A new jockey at the top level of horse racing, Loveberry has been a fixture at tracks such as Canterbury, Arlington, and Hawthorne, and he has won many races as first-call for Two Phil’s’ trainer Larry Rivelli. He has won four graded stakes, all between 2021 and 2023, with two of them being points races with Two Phil’s. One of those wins came in the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs, showing he knows how to ride this horse at the home of the Derby.

Christophe Lemaire

Horse: Derma Sotogake (10-1 ML, Post 17)

Lemaire rode in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2022, when the jockey finished thirteenth with Crown Pride after being on a torrid pace. He only has two graded stakes wins in the United States: with Flotilla in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and with Bayrir in the 2012 Secretariat Stakes (G1). However, he was the leading JRA jockey for five years running, a streak snapped in 2022 when he finished second, and has won major races around the world such as the 2011 Melbourne Cup, the 2010 English 2,000 Guineas, the 2019 Dubai Turf, and the 2005 and 2016 Arima Kinen.

Junior Alvarado

Horse: Rocket Can (30-1 ML, Post 18)

This jockey earned the biggest win of his career so far in 2022 when he guided Cody’s Wish to a win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1); he also rode Olympiad to a second-place finish behind Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic as well. Alvarado has raced in the Kentucky Derby three times so far. His best finish came in 2016 with Mohaymen, who finished fourth. The jockey also finished 14th in both 2018 and 2019, with Enticed and Tax.

Manny Franco

Horse: Hit Show (30-1 ML, Post 1)

A decade into his career as a professional jockey, Franco has already won several major races. His most important win to date came in the 2020 Belmont with Tiz the Law; the jockey also won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Sharing. He has ridden in the Kentucky Derby four times, with his best finish coming in 2020 when Tiz the Law finished second behind Authentic.

James Graham

Horse: Confidence Game (20-1 ML, Post 4)

James Graham has ridden in the Kentucky Derby twice before: he guided Lone Sailor to an eighth-place finish in 2010, and ran tenth with Major Fed in 2020. Graham has a reputation as a strong turf rider, and so far none of his five Grade 1 wins have come on the dirt: four have come on grass, and one came in the Ashland when Keeneland still held it on the polytrack.

Tyler Gaffalione

Horse: Verifying (15-1 ML, Post 2)

At age 27, Tyler Gaffalione has risen from champion apprentice jockey in 2015 to one of the top riders in the game. He won the 2019 Preakness Stakes with War of Will. He also won two Breeders’ Cup races in 2022: the Turf Sprint with Caravel, and the Juvenile Fillies with Wonder Wheel. A perennial riding champion at Churchill Downs, this jockey knows the Kentucky Derby course as well as any rider active today, though after five starts, he is still looking to hit the board in the Derby for the first time.

Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Horse: Sun Thunder (50-1 ML, Post 13)

The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2004, he has built a strong career riding mainly in Kentucky, and now Fair Grounds over the winter. His biggest win to date came in 2012, when he rode Fort Larned to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Hernandez scored his first Triple Crown race placing in 2022, when the jockey was third in the Preakness with Creative Minister. In three Kentucky Derby mounts, Hernandez’s best finish came in 2017, when McCraken finished eighth.

Javier Castellano

Horse: Mage (15-1 ML, Post 8)

Active since 1997, Javier Castellano is a four-time Eclipse winner and a 2017 inductee into the Hall of Fame. The jockey has won Triple Crown races twice: he won the Preakness in both 2006 with Bernardini and 2017 with Cloud Computing. His best finish so far in the Kentucky Derby has been third, with Audible in 2018. He has been excellent in the Breeders’ Cup, with 12 wins at that festival including the 2004 Classic with Ghostzapper.

Joel Rosario

Horse: Disarm (30-1 ML, Post 11)

He was 28 years old when he won the Kentucky Derby with Orb in 2013, and also hit the board in 2022 when he was second in the Run for the Roses with Epicenter. He finished near the top of the list for earnings in 2013 and has been there almost every year since then too. He has also won two Belmont Stakes and 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including with both Knicks Go and Echo Zulu in 2021. He also won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2021.

John Velazquez

Horse: Reincarnate (50-1 ML, Post 7)

One of the most experienced jockeys in the sport, John Velazquez has ridden in the Kentucky Derby 24 times, dating all the way back to 1996. He has won the race three times: with Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017), and Authentic (2020). He also crossed the wire first with Medina Spirit in 2021, though the horse was later disqualified due to a positive test. Velazquez has also won the Belmont Stakes twice, with Rags to Riches (2007) and Union Rags (2012).

Florent Geroux

Horse: Jace’s Road (50-1 ML, Post 12)

Florent Geroux’s profile as a big-race jockey has risen steadily since he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Work All Week in 2014. He now owns seven Breeders’ Cup titles, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with the great Monomoy Girl. Geroux has ridden in the Kentucky Derby six times, earning his first win in 2021 with Mandaloun, who was elevated to victory after the disqualification of Medina Spirit.

Corey Lanerie

Horse: Cyclone Mischief (30-1 ML, No. 21)

Corey Lanerie is an experienced Kentucky regular who will get his seventh chance to ride in the Kentucky Derby with Cyclone Mischief. This jockey’s best finish in the Kentucky Derby was a second-place outing with long shot Lookin at Lee in 2017; that was his only money finish in six starts so far. He has also hit the board in the Preakness once, finishing second with Cherry Wine in the 2016 edition of the race.

Kazushi Kimura

Horse: Mandarin Hero (20-1 ML, No. 22)

Kimura will ride his first Kentucky Derby after Mandarin Hero got in from the AE list on Thursday. Though he has only been riding in North America since 2018, his rise has been meteoric: he won a 2018 Sovereign Award for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2018, and the Eclipse award for apprentice rider the next year. He earned Sovereign Awards for outstanding jockey in Canada ni 2021 and 2022, as well. Kimura has won three Grade 1 races, including the 2023 edition of the Kilroe Mile, his first top-level win in the United States.

Rafael Bejarano

Horse: King Russell (50-1 ML, No. 23)

Bejarano is one of the most experienced jockeys riding, having been in the saddle since 2002. He has had some major victories in the Breeders’ Cup, with five wins at that festival, including both the 2013 and 2014 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Miles with Goldencents. In his 13th Run for the Roses Bejarano is still waiting for his breakout Kentucky Derby moment: in 12 tries, his best finish came in 2009 when he guided Papa Clem to a 4th-place finish. This jockey has had more success in the Belmont, finishing second in 2005 with Andromeda’s Hero and third in 2006 with Sunriver.

Betting on Trainers in the 2024 Kentucky Derby

Wagering on a horse (or two) to win the 150th Kentucky Derby is one way to go; betting on the winning jockey is another, but there is yet a further market to concentrate your efforts on—the winning trainer.

Trainers with great barns will have more than one card to play in the Derby, so this market is another option for wagers, with trainers such as Todd Pletcher, Brad Cox, Kenny McPeek, and Tim Yakteen all in the running to land the big one.

You can visit our dedicated section to see who is currently favored to take down the Run for the Roses.

Keep it TVG for Your 2024 Kentucky Derby Bets

TVG will keep you informed down the entire Road to the Kentucky Derby, and you can watch and wager with us every step of the way. Find out the latest Derby odds to see what sort of value you can get, and get ready to place your bets!

Get up to $200 Back

If you don't win your first single-horse win bet

By TVG Staff
Updated January, 23 2024

On Saturday, May 4, the 150th Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. Up to 20 of the most promising three-year-old Thoroughbreds of the year will line up in the starting gate to take their chance at a seven-figure payday, the iconic blanket of roses, and a spot on the immortal list of Kentucky Derby winners. Part of being a smart bettor is getting to know the 2024 Kentucky Derby jockeys!

Hundreds of different bets are available on the race. Our own Kentucky Derby picks involve the horses, but betting on the winning jockey is also increasing in popularity as horseplayers look to find different wagering angles.

Live Derby Week Coverage on FanDuel TV+

Watch FanDuel Racing’s live, commercial-free, racing coverage of Derby Week on FanDuel TV+ beginning Saturday, 4/29 – Thursday 5/4. FanDuel TV will also be on-site at Churchill Downs providing comprehensive coverage, including the latest news, analysis, and handicapping insights in the days leading up to the Derby.

Current 2024 Kentucky Derby Jockey Odds Table

The 2024 Kentucky Derby field has yet to be drawn, but here’s a look back at 2023’s jockeys

This includes the scratches of three horses on Thursday. Practical Move spiked a temperature. Lord Miles is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who has had all of his horses scratched at Churchill Downs. Continuar was scratched due to his trainer not being pleased with his training. This lets Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero, and King Russell and their jockeys into the main field.


PostHorseJockeyML
1Hit ShowManuel Franco30-1
2VerifyingTyler Gaffalione15-1
3Two Phil’sJareth Loveberry12-1
4Confidence GameJames Graham20-1
5Tapit TriceLuis Saez5-1
6KingsbarnsJose Ortiz12-1
7ReincarnateJohn Velazquez50-1
8MageJavier Castellano15-1
9SkinnerJuan HernandezSCR
10Practical MoveRamon VazquezSCR
11DisarmJoel Rosario30-1
12Jace’s RoadFlavien Prat50-1
13Sun ThunderBrian Hernandez, Jr.50-1
14Angel of EmpireFlavien Prat8-1
15ForteIrad Ortiz, Jr.3-1
16Raise CainGerardo Corrales50-1
17Derma SotogakeChristophe Lemaire10-1
18Rocket CanJunior Alvarado30-1
19Lord MilesPaco LopezSCR
20ContinuarRyusei SakaiSCR
21Cyclone MischiefCorey Lanerie30-1
22Mandarin HeroKazushi Kimura20-1
23King RussellRafael Bejarano50-1

As the Kentucky Derby draws closer, the jockey picture will become clearer. Several jockeys have recently ridden multiple Kentucky Derby entrants, giving them the choice of which horse they think has the best chance. Horses these jockeys do not choose will be open for other riders, who may have ridden them before or may be completely new to the horse. At this point in time, jockey odds are almost exclusively based on the odds of their Kentucky Derby contender.

2024 Kentucky Derby Jockeys

Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Horse: Forte (3-1 ML, Post 15)

One of the best jockeys in America, Ortiz won 3 consecutive Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey from 2018-2020, and another in 2022. At just 29 years old, Ortiz already has 14 wins at the Breeders’ Cup, including three in 2021. The jockey won the 2016 Belmont with Creator and has also hit the board in the Preakness, though he is looking for his first money finish in the Derby.

Flavien Prat

Horse: Angel of Empire (8-1 ML, Post 14)

Flavien Prat won his first Kentucky Derby in 2019 with Country House, who was placed first after Maximum Security was disqualified. Though Prat has only ridden in five editions of the Kentucky Derby so far, his jockey record in the race is excellent: he has hit the board four times. In addition to Country House, those money finishes for this jockey include a third-place outing with Battle of Midway in 2017, a second-place award with Hot Rod Charlie, who crossed the wire third in 2021 but was promoted after the disqualification of Medina Spirit, and a third-place run with Zandon in 2022.

Luis Saez

Horse: Tapit Trice (5-1 ML, Post 5)

Saez missed out on Kentucky Derby glory in 2019 when he crossed the wire first with Maximum Security but was disqualified for interference on the far turn. The jockey has a Belmont win with eventual 2021 Champion Three Year Old Essential Quality, who was also placed third in the Kentucky Derby after Medina Spirit’s disqualification, and a Preakness second with Bravazo in 2018, proving he can show up on the sport’s biggest days.

Jareth Loveberry

Horse: Two Phil’s (12-1 ML, Post 3)

A new jockey at the top level of horse racing, Loveberry has been a fixture at tracks such as Canterbury, Arlington, and Hawthorne, and he has won many races as first-call for Two Phil’s’ trainer Larry Rivelli. He has won four graded stakes, all between 2021 and 2023, with two of them being points races with Two Phil’s. One of those wins came in the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs, showing he knows how to ride this horse at the home of the Derby.

Christophe Lemaire

Horse: Derma Sotogake (10-1 ML, Post 17)

Lemaire rode in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2022, when the jockey finished thirteenth with Crown Pride after being on a torrid pace. He only has two graded stakes wins in the United States: with Flotilla in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and with Bayrir in the 2012 Secretariat Stakes (G1). However, he was the leading JRA jockey for five years running, a streak snapped in 2022 when he finished second, and has won major races around the world such as the 2011 Melbourne Cup, the 2010 English 2,000 Guineas, the 2019 Dubai Turf, and the 2005 and 2016 Arima Kinen.

Junior Alvarado

Horse: Rocket Can (30-1 ML, Post 18)

This jockey earned the biggest win of his career so far in 2022 when he guided Cody’s Wish to a win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1); he also rode Olympiad to a second-place finish behind Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic as well. Alvarado has raced in the Kentucky Derby three times so far. His best finish came in 2016 with Mohaymen, who finished fourth. The jockey also finished 14th in both 2018 and 2019, with Enticed and Tax.

Manny Franco

Horse: Hit Show (30-1 ML, Post 1)

A decade into his career as a professional jockey, Franco has already won several major races. His most important win to date came in the 2020 Belmont with Tiz the Law; the jockey also won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Sharing. He has ridden in the Kentucky Derby four times, with his best finish coming in 2020 when Tiz the Law finished second behind Authentic.

James Graham

Horse: Confidence Game (20-1 ML, Post 4)

James Graham has ridden in the Kentucky Derby twice before: he guided Lone Sailor to an eighth-place finish in 2010, and ran tenth with Major Fed in 2020. Graham has a reputation as a strong turf rider, and so far none of his five Grade 1 wins have come on the dirt: four have come on grass, and one came in the Ashland when Keeneland still held it on the polytrack.

Tyler Gaffalione

Horse: Verifying (15-1 ML, Post 2)

At age 27, Tyler Gaffalione has risen from champion apprentice jockey in 2015 to one of the top riders in the game. He won the 2019 Preakness Stakes with War of Will. He also won two Breeders’ Cup races in 2022: the Turf Sprint with Caravel, and the Juvenile Fillies with Wonder Wheel. A perennial riding champion at Churchill Downs, this jockey knows the Kentucky Derby course as well as any rider active today, though after five starts, he is still looking to hit the board in the Derby for the first time.

Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Horse: Sun Thunder (50-1 ML, Post 13)

The Eclipse Award winner for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2004, he has built a strong career riding mainly in Kentucky, and now Fair Grounds over the winter. His biggest win to date came in 2012, when he rode Fort Larned to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Hernandez scored his first Triple Crown race placing in 2022, when the jockey was third in the Preakness with Creative Minister. In three Kentucky Derby mounts, Hernandez’s best finish came in 2017, when McCraken finished eighth.

Javier Castellano

Horse: Mage (15-1 ML, Post 8)

Active since 1997, Javier Castellano is a four-time Eclipse winner and a 2017 inductee into the Hall of Fame. The jockey has won Triple Crown races twice: he won the Preakness in both 2006 with Bernardini and 2017 with Cloud Computing. His best finish so far in the Kentucky Derby has been third, with Audible in 2018. He has been excellent in the Breeders’ Cup, with 12 wins at that festival including the 2004 Classic with Ghostzapper.

Joel Rosario

Horse: Disarm (30-1 ML, Post 11)

He was 28 years old when he won the Kentucky Derby with Orb in 2013, and also hit the board in 2022 when he was second in the Run for the Roses with Epicenter. He finished near the top of the list for earnings in 2013 and has been there almost every year since then too. He has also won two Belmont Stakes and 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including with both Knicks Go and Echo Zulu in 2021. He also won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2021.

John Velazquez

Horse: Reincarnate (50-1 ML, Post 7)

One of the most experienced jockeys in the sport, John Velazquez has ridden in the Kentucky Derby 24 times, dating all the way back to 1996. He has won the race three times: with Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017), and Authentic (2020). He also crossed the wire first with Medina Spirit in 2021, though the horse was later disqualified due to a positive test. Velazquez has also won the Belmont Stakes twice, with Rags to Riches (2007) and Union Rags (2012).

Florent Geroux

Horse: Jace’s Road (50-1 ML, Post 12)

Florent Geroux’s profile as a big-race jockey has risen steadily since he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Work All Week in 2014. He now owns seven Breeders’ Cup titles, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with the great Monomoy Girl. Geroux has ridden in the Kentucky Derby six times, earning his first win in 2021 with Mandaloun, who was elevated to victory after the disqualification of Medina Spirit.

Corey Lanerie

Horse: Cyclone Mischief (30-1 ML, No. 21)

Corey Lanerie is an experienced Kentucky regular who will get his seventh chance to ride in the Kentucky Derby with Cyclone Mischief. This jockey’s best finish in the Kentucky Derby was a second-place outing with long shot Lookin at Lee in 2017; that was his only money finish in six starts so far. He has also hit the board in the Preakness once, finishing second with Cherry Wine in the 2016 edition of the race.

Kazushi Kimura

Horse: Mandarin Hero (20-1 ML, No. 22)

Kimura will ride his first Kentucky Derby after Mandarin Hero got in from the AE list on Thursday. Though he has only been riding in North America since 2018, his rise has been meteoric: he won a 2018 Sovereign Award for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2018, and the Eclipse award for apprentice rider the next year. He earned Sovereign Awards for outstanding jockey in Canada ni 2021 and 2022, as well. Kimura has won three Grade 1 races, including the 2023 edition of the Kilroe Mile, his first top-level win in the United States.

Rafael Bejarano

Horse: King Russell (50-1 ML, No. 23)

Bejarano is one of the most experienced jockeys riding, having been in the saddle since 2002. He has had some major victories in the Breeders’ Cup, with five wins at that festival, including both the 2013 and 2014 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Miles with Goldencents. In his 13th Run for the Roses Bejarano is still waiting for his breakout Kentucky Derby moment: in 12 tries, his best finish came in 2009 when he guided Papa Clem to a 4th-place finish. This jockey has had more success in the Belmont, finishing second in 2005 with Andromeda’s Hero and third in 2006 with Sunriver.

Betting on Trainers in the 2024 Kentucky Derby

Wagering on a horse (or two) to win the 150th Kentucky Derby is one way to go; betting on the winning jockey is another, but there is yet a further market to concentrate your efforts on—the winning trainer.

Trainers with great barns will have more than one card to play in the Derby, so this market is another option for wagers, with trainers such as Todd Pletcher, Brad Cox, Kenny McPeek, and Tim Yakteen all in the running to land the big one.

You can visit our dedicated section to see who is currently favored to take down the Run for the Roses.

Keep it TVG for Your 2024 Kentucky Derby Bets

TVG will keep you informed down the entire Road to the Kentucky Derby, and you can watch and wager with us every step of the way. Find out the latest Derby odds to see what sort of value you can get, and get ready to place your bets!