The best sophomore turf routers in the company take the stage in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 3. The $600,000 race, one of both national and international significance, is the second leg of the New York Racing Association Turf Triple. That prestigious series began with the Belmont Derby (G1) and ends with the Jockey Club Derby in the early autumn.

In addition to the purse and the Grade 1 laurels, the race is also an international qualifier for the Cox Plate on October 26 at Moonee Valley Racing Club in Australia. One horse has already swept the Saratoga Derby and the Cox Plate: State of Rest won both races in 2021.

The Saratoga Derby brings Diego Velazquez, who has been facing high-level company in Europe for Aidan O’Brien, stateside. Off that international form, he has been named the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Though Belmont Derby winner Trikari does not return for this leg of the series, second-place White Palomino and third-place Legend of Time will try to move forward as well, and shape as some of Diego Velazquez’s strongest contenders.

2024 Saratoga Derby Invitational Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 3
• Track: Saratoga Race Course
• Post Time: 3:21 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 3/16 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Saratoga Derby Invitational Draw and Odds

These are the eight entrants for this year’s Saratoga Derby Invitational, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for each horse.

Saratoga Derby Invitational Prep Race Results

The eight horses entered in the Saratoga Derby come out of five different races. Three come out of Grade 1 company, and all the same Grade 1. The second, third, and fourth-place finishers from the Belmont Derby on July 6, going this same 1 3/16-mile distance at Aqueduct, all try to move forward here. White Palomino missed by a game head that day, while Legend of Time finished a chasing third. Royal Majesty was just behind in fourth.

Two others come out of graded or group company. Diego Velazquez got a seven-length confidence-builder in the Meld (G3) going 1 ⅛ miles at Leopardstown on July 18. Deterministic just missed in the Manila (G3) on June 29 at Aqueduct, crossing the wire second, ¾ length behind Neat.

The three other runners come to the Saratoga Derby out of ungraded stakes races. Both Carson’s Run and Izzy d’Oro come out of the Tale of the Cat, a 1 1/16-mile turf race at Monmouth. Carson’s Run rallied from toward the rear and cleared off by three lengths, while Izzy d’Oro set a contested pace and flattened to fourth late. Cugino comes in off a dominant 4 ¼-lengths core in the Audubon at 1 ⅛ miles on the Churchill grass, taking the race wire-to-wire.

Saratoga Derby Invitational Contenders

These are the eight runners in the 2024 Saratoga Derby in order of their post position.

1. Izzy d’Oro: A late-blooming son of Get Stormy, he graduated three back on the Gulfstream Tapeta and followed that up with a first-level allowance victory on the Keeneland lawn over this 1 3/16-mile distance in April. He has tactical speed, which should serve him well, and the stamina is a positive as well. However, he has class to prove in his first graded-stakes try, and his inside draw does not suit. He got burned in a speed duel last time out in the Audubon, when he was mired on the rail, and with Cugino and White Palomino to his outside that could happen to him once again.
2. Cugino: In six starts, he has yet to run a bad race. His gate-to-wire win in the Audubon last out showed a nice dimension of pace versatility, though he clearly does not need the lead: he rallied from midfield for his maiden victory, and has piled up several close seconds in stakes company while in stalking or tracking positions. 1 3/16 miles is a new test for this Shug McGaughey trainee, but his pedigree has enough distance in it to make him interesting on the stretch out. From speed to versatility to breeding, he has the tools for a breakout performance.
3. Legend of Time: A heavy favorite in all three American starts, it would be no surprise if he actually goes off a second choice behind Ireland-based shipper Diego Velazquez. He didn’t miss by much in the Belmont Derby, though he just never found enough to reel in the speed that day. The pedigree means he should take to this sort of distance (and beyond), but it really comes down to pace for him: if the speed gets locked up and the pace is fast, Legend of Time can be there at the end. If not, he may have to settle for another underneath placing.
4. Diego Velazquez: This Aidan O’Brien trainee ships across the Atlantic for his first North American try over seven outings in Europe. He is a two-time group-level winner, both times at Leopardstown in Ireland. He has yet to win at the top level, though he did miss by only a length in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains in May, going a mile over soft ground. That is a point in his favor, with some rain in the forecast. The distance is the question; the victory in the Meld over 1 ⅛ miles was a positive, though he has been well beaten in both his starts going longer than that.
5. Deterministic: He started as a dirt horse, winning a maiden race and the Gotham (G3) on dirt in his first two starts, but after two straight defeats on the main track Christophe Clement shifted him to the lawn for the Manila last out. He looked nice on the switch to the grass, rallying for a close second in a turf mile. Distance is the question, as the two dirt races where he was well beaten were both over a mile. But, if he can handle that and find his best, he is tactical enough to work a trip and find the frame.
6. Carson’s Run: The other from the Clement barn, he has been on the lawn for all six of his starts. In a field with several who like to be on or near the lead, he is one who reliably settled well back and does his best running late. He likes the Saratoga course, which is a plus. But, whether he gets quite enough pace is a question, and he has never gone past 1 1/16 miles in a race before. With a pedigree that reads a bit more middle-distance, there is another question over this 1 3/16-mile trip. In short, he’ll be one of the longer prices in the field, and he needs a significant step forward to be a threat.
7. Royal Majesty: He has run well in a pair of stakes races leading into this, but hasn’t gotten over the mark to win one. Distance may also be a question here: both his victories came over 1 1/16 miles, and in both of those stakes starts where he didn’t have enough at the end, he came over longer. Perhaps he just needs a bit more time to grow, as his pedigree is well-oriented to more distance. But, perhaps he is just not there yet; a piece of the trifecta or superfecta looks like his ceiling here.
8. White Palomino: He can win from just off the pace, as he did in maiden company, but against stakes-quality horses, his game has been “get to the lead and play catch-me-if-you-can.” He has been caught in both of his stakes races, but he didn’t give up easily and has only missed by a head in both of his stakes races. It’s a vote of confidence that Flavien Prat sticks with White Palomino instead of riding up-and-coming Cugino again. The question is whether he adapts to Izzy d’Oro, a long shot with a lot of speed early who will be sending hard from the fence. But, if White Palomino can avoid a duel – by either clearing off or working an outside-stalking trip – he may have people wondering how they let a good Chad Brown horse go off at 6-1 or 8-1.

Saratoga Derby Invitational FAQ

Q: When is the Saratoga Derby?

A: The Saratoga Derby Invitational happens Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 3;21 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Saratoga Derby?

A: The Saratoga Derby, one of the feature turf races of the New York Racing Association season, happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is the 7th out of 13 races on the card, and one of three Grade 1 events.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Saratoga Derby?

A: In five runnings of the Saratoga Derby, Chad Brown leads with two wins: Domestic Spending in 2020 and Program Trading in 2023. He can make it three if White Palomino finds the winners’ circle this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Saratoga Derby?

A: The 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Saratoga Derby is Diego Velazquez for Aidan O’Brien. Coming off a romping Group 3 win in Ireland, he fits the profile of a European not-quite-Group-1 horse who is well-intended to snipe a major American turf prize, and on that theory, he should hold as the favorite come post time.

Q: Who is the best Saratoga Derby jockey?

A: No jockey has yet won the Saratoga Derby more than one time. Among the riders this year, William Buick (Legend of Time), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (Cugino), and Flavien Prat (White Palomino) have won this race before.

Q: Who won the Saratoga Derby in 2023?

A: Chad Brown and Flavien Prat took the 2023 Saratoga Derby with Program Trading. They unite to try to win the race again in 2024 with White Palomino.

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