Mark Pope, Kentucky staff make picks for 2024 Kentucky Derby
It’s Derby Day in the Bluegrass and in the spirit of the race, Kentucky Men’s Basketball coach Mark Pope and his staff have made their picks for the 150th Kentucky Derby.
All five of their picks are as follows:
Mark Pope – Sierra Leone (5-1)
Mark Fox – Forever Young (6-1)
Alvin Brooks III – Fierceness (7/2)
Jason Hart – Chasing Freedom (8-1)
Cody Fueger – Just a Touch (10-1)
Alvin Brooks certainly has the right idea, as Fierceness is the odds-on favorite to win the Run for the Roses at 7/2 as of this report.
However, head coach Mark Pope’s choice, Sierra Leone, is a favorite for many to pick this year as the Chad Brown-trained thoroughbred has finished in the top three of all four of his stars.
Forever Young is a bold choice for Mark Fox, who is one of two Japanese-bred horses starting in this year’s Derby. Notably, a Japanese thoroughbred has never won the Kentucky Derby. However, it should be noted that Forever Young is undefeated in five starts.
Jason Hart could be on to something as well with his pick, Catching Freedom. You can’t ever count a Brad Cox horse out of the Derby, whose horse Mandaloun won the 2021 race after the horse that crossed the finish line first, the late Medina Spirit, was disqualified. Cox has two horses in this year’s race, Catching Freedom and Cody Fueger’s horse, Just A Touch.
Cox would have another horse in the race, but Encino was scratched at 20-1 odds. Mugatu was also scratched at 30-1 odds after posting his best time out at Keeneland 28 days ago.
One thing to keep in mind during this year’s Kentucky Derby is the possibility of a wet track at Churchill Downs. This could mean big trouble for a talented thoroughbred like Fierceness, who, despite his talents, has never logged back-to-back wins in 57 starts. Trainer Todd Pletcher and Fierceness’ owners believe that if the “real” horse shows up, everyone else is playing for second.
If this isn’t the case, Sierra Leone, Forever Young, Catching Freedom and Just A Touch are solid choices for the Kentucky Men’s Basketball coaching staff to pick on Saturday.
The 150th Run for the Roses is scheduled for its usual 6:57 p.m. ET start time. The purse has been raised to a record $5 million for the winning horse and their party — a $2 million increase from the previous year.