Explanations And Excuses: 2024 Kentucky Derby Trainers React In The Race's Aftermath

Following is a collection of quotes from the trainers of each of the 19 non-winning entries in Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, won by Mystik Dan.

Chad Brown, Trainer, Sierra Leone, runner-up: “You get beat a nose in the Kentucky Derby, it’s a tough one. But he’s a tremendous horse, nearly undefeated. I’m just so lucky to have him, so proud of his effort today. He did what we asked him to do, just came up a little bit short. (I didn’t think I won) watching it live, but then when they started showing the slo mo, I thought maybe this could be a dead heat because I got a great bob. I just wasn’t in front. I got a great bob actually, but it’s tough to know which angles the TV actually has. But it didn’t feel good when they started to show the 3 horse on the pan shot on the TV. It’s just so hard to get here, so many things have to go right and you have to have the right horse. It’s disappointing the result but I’m so proud of the horse. He ran his race. When you have a deep closer like that, you have to go through some traffic and go wide. I’ll have to look at his trip a little bit closer. But it doesn’t really matter, he got beat a nose.”

Brad Cox, Trainer, Catching Freedom, fourth: “Beautiful trip. When he turned for home, he gave him a good kick. He looked like a winner coming off the turn and just couldn’t go on. Maybe that extra eighth of a mile made a difference.”

Michael McCarthy, Trainer, Endlessly, ninth: “He got away from there OK. But the way he runs from the back wasn’t good today. We were concerned about him taking too much dirt in the face, but maybe we shouldn’t have been. He ran ninth and I am happy for him.”

Danny Gargan, Trainer, Dornoch, 10^th: “He had a very bad trip. He was eliminated early. He got very tired. I’m disappointed in the way he ran today.”

John Ennis, Trainer, Epic Ride, 14^th: “He ran good. He probably didn’t want to run a mile and a quarter. That’s too far for him.”

John Velazquez, Jockey, Fierceness, 15^th: “His first jump was not very good. His second and third jump he was OK. He got pretty aggressive since I had to give him a nudge out of there. The horses on the outside put the pressure on and then he got into the bridle. I tried to keep him as settled as much without letting doing too much but he was already engaged. When I let him go, he just didn’t have it.”

Todd Pletcher, Trainer, Fierceness, 15^th: “Johnny (Velazquez) said he hopped a little at the start. Then he got wound up in all the company around him trying to make the lead. He couldn’t shake loose like he did in Florida. Just one of those races.”

Danny Gargan, Trainer, Society Man, 16^th: “He had a nice trip. He tried hard and that’s the way it goes.”

Wayne Lukas, Trainer, Just Steel, 17^th: “I thought he ran OK. But he got roughed up leaving there and that :22, :46 did not help at all.”

Brad Cox, Trainer, Just a Touch, 20^th: “He got bounced around at the start and his race was kind of over after an eighth of a mile, looked like to me and Florent (Geroux) kind of agreed. Overall I was very happy with Catching Freedom’s effort, I really was and the ride Flavien (Prat) gave him. We’ll regroup, not sure where we’ll land.”