Stronghold trainer, jockey, owner, record and more to know about 2024 Kentucky Derby horse
![](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/05/06/PLOU/8c1a2138-67c0-465f-a277-dafa39cec7ba-DerbyMSC01COVER.jpg?crop=2593,1459,x0,y953&width=660&height=372&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
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.
How many horses have won Triple Crown?Meet winners of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont