Encino trainer, jockey, owner, record and more to know about 2024 Kentucky Derby horse

Encino 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.

Encino will enter the Kentucky Derby off a victory in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes on April 13 at Keeneland. He currently ranks 18th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 40.

Encino

Color: Dark bay/brown

Bred in: Kentucky

Sire: Nyquist

Dam: Glittering Jewel, by Bernardini

Price tag: Homebred

Owner: Godolphin (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum), 0 for 12 in Derby. Best finish was third with Essential Quality in 2021.

Trainer: Brad Cox, 1 for 9 in Derby. Won via disqualification with Mandaloun in 2021.

Jockey: TBA

Record: 3-1-0 in four starts

Career earnings: $378,315

Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 40 (No. 18)

Last race: Won Grade 3 Lexington on April 13 at Keeneland by three-quarters of a length over The Wine Steward

Running style: Near the front early

Notes: Encino’s first three races came on the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park, but he took to the dirt well in his Lexington victory and earned a spot in the Kentucky Derby when No More Time suffered an injury during training. … Cox, a Louisville native, is set to have three horses in the Kentucky Derby, with Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom and Blue Grass Stakes runner-up Just a Touch joining Encino. … Florent Geroux rode Encino to victory in the Lexington but is expected to ride Just a Touch in the Kentucky Derby.

What they’re saying: “(Assistant trainer) Tessa Bisha (Walden) had him up at Turfway all winter, and as the winter went on she kept raving about how well he was doing,” Cox said after the Lexington victory. “There was a little bit of a question mark about whether he would like the dirt, but he handled it today. He had a few works at Keeneland leading up to this race and showed his hand. He seemed like he liked the surface, and he put it all together today.”

More horse racing:How many horses have won Triple Crown? Meet winners of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.