Dornoch trainer, jockey, owner, record and more to know about 2024 Kentucky Derby horse
Here's everything you need to know about 2024 Kentucky Derby contender Dornoch, including the horse's trainer, jockey and what they're saying.
Jason Frakes
Dornoch is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2024 Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 27. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.
Dornoch will enter the Kentucky Derby off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland. He currently ranks eighth on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 75.
Dornoch
Color: Bay
Bred in: Kentucky
Sire: Good Magic
Dam: Puca, by Big Brown
Price tag: $325,000 at 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Owners: West Paces Racing (Larry Connolly), R.A. Hill Stable (Raymond Hill), Belmar Racing and Breeding (Vito Cucci), Two Eight Racing (Jayson Werth), Pine Racing Stables (Mark Pine). It’s the first Derby for all except R.A. Hill Stable, which finished 12th with Vekoma and 14th with Tax in 2019.
Trainer: Danny Gargan, 0 for 1 in Derby. Finished 14th with Tax in 2019.
Jockey: Luis Saez, 0 for 10 in Derby. Best finish was third with Essential Quality in 2021.
Record: 3-2-0 in six starts
Career earnings: $552,275
Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 75 (No. 8)
Last race: Fourth in Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 6 at Keeneland
Running style: At or near the front early
Notes: Dornoch had won three straight races — including the Grade 2 Remsen and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth — before his fourth-place finish in the Blue Grass. … Co-owner Jayson Werth is a former All-Star outfielder with the Philadelphia Phillies. His Two Eight Racing LLC is a reference to his No. 28 jersey number as a major leaguer. … Dornoch was named for the Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland. The proper pronunciation is “DOOR-nick.” … Dornoch is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage.
What they’re saying: “I may have shipped him in here a little too close to the race,” Gargan said of the Blue Grass, referring to Dornoch’s arrival at Keeneland two days before the race. “He ran good but got a little tired. He’ll run better next time.”
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
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