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

Stronghold 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.

Stronghold will enter the Kentucky Derby off a victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6. He currently ranks fourth on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 125.

Stronghold

Color: Bay

Bred in: Kentucky

Sire: Ghostzapper

Dam: Spectator, by Jimmy Creed

Price tag: Homebred

Owners: Eric and Sharon Waller, first Derby

Trainer: Philip D’Amato, first Derby

Jockey: Antonio Fresu, first Derby

Record: 3-3-0 in six starts

Career earnings: $827,200

Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 125 (No. 4)

Last race: Won Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6 by a neck over Imagination

Running style: Stalker

Notes: Stronghold got his racing start in Kentucky before heading west. He was second in his debut at Ellis Park on Aug. 27 before breaking his maiden Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs. He’s 2 for 2 as a 3-year-old, having won the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby on Feb. 18. … Partially a result of the suspension of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Stronghold is the only California-based horse expected to enter the Kentucky Derby. … Spectator, Stronghold’s dam, was 3-1-1 in nine career starts from 2017-19. She was second behind Midnight Bisou in the 2018 Santa Anita Oaks.

What they’re saying: “We were definitely hoping to get on the winning end here,” D’Amato said after the Santa Anita Derby. “I think this was a great education for him and a nice test that he’s going to need to win a race like the Kentucky Derby.”

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

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