Kentucky Derby 2024: A look at the 14 horses with Florida ties

The 2024 Kentucky Derby is set to run Saturday evening, and there will be plenty of Florida influence .

It's no big surprise. The Ocala Breeders' Sales are among the biggest in the country for horse owners. There are world-class farms across the state, from Marion County to Payson Park in Martin County. Two races, the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach and the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, are feeders to the annual Run for the Roses.

There are 14 horses with ties to Florida running in the 2024 Kentucky Derby . Here's a quick look at them:

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Dornoch

• Position: 1
• Trained by: Raul Reyes at King's Equine in Ocala

Sierra Leone

• Position: 2
• Trains at: Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center in Indiantown . Previously trained at Scanlon Training and Sales at Oak Ridge Training Center near Ocala.
• Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione, born in Davie

Mystik Dan

• Position: 3
• Early schooling: Silverleaf Hills Training Center in Ocala

Catching Freedom

• Position: 4
• Trained at: Abracadabra Farms in Ocala

Catalytic

• Position: 5
• Owners: Tami Bobo , Julie Davies and George Isaacs , all of Ocala
• Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. , based at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach
• Florida Derby 2024 finish: Second

Just a Touch

• Position: 8
• Ocala Breeders' Sales history: Bought at auction April 28, 2023, for $3,000

Forever Young

• Position: 11
• Lineage: Grandsire is Congrats , who is pensioned at Persaud Legacy Farms in Marion County

Track Phantom

• Position: 12
• Owner: Breezy Hall LLC's Mike Hall , Ocala farm owner and member of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors

Endlessly

• Position: 14
• Prepped at: Abracadabra Farms in Ocala

Domestic Product

• Position: 15
• Tampa Bay Derby 2024 finish: First
• Trained at: Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center in Indiantown

Grand Mo the First

• Position: 16
• Trainer: Victor Barboza Jr., previous leading trainer at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach
• Jockey: Emisael Jamarillo, moved from Venezuela to South Florida in 2015
• Schooled by: Keifer Rengifo at Golden Rock Thoroughbreds in Citra
• Florida Derby 2024 finish: Third

Fierceness

• Position: 17
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher, whose father, JJ Pletcher, has a training center in Ocala, and whose mother, Joan Pletcher, sells high-end horse farms
• Early training: Ocala Stud Farm
• Florida Derby 2024 finish: First

Resilience

• Position: 19
• Trains at: Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center in Indiantown
• Jockey: Junior Alvarado , who got his start in South Florida in 2007

Society Man

• Position: 20
• Trained by: Grade One Investments at Two Springs Farms in Micanopy

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Kentucky Derby 2024: A look at the 14 horses with Florida ties