LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Can one really, truly know what it might feel like to participate in their first Kentucky Derby? Trainer Larry Demeritte, who has chased the Derby dream all the way from the Bahamas, has been doing his best for many years to be prepared when that call comes to make the walkover from the stable area. “I go to all of them – I’ve been practicing for a while,” said Demeritte, who will saddle West Saratoga on Saturday. “I talk to some trainers who don’t want to run a horse [on the undercard] Derby Day, but every time I had an opportunity to run Derby Day, I run. I said, I’m practicing, so that when that day comes, I won’t be a rookie. I may be a first-time starter, but I’m not gonna be a rookie.” Demeritte is one of eight first-time trainers with a Derby horse in the main body of the field, along with Victor Barboza Jr., Whit Beckman, Phil D’Amato, John Ennis, Michael McCarthy, Daisuke Takayanagi, and Yoshito Yahagi. Meanwhile four jockeys are set to ride their first Derbies – Keith James Asmussen, Ben Curtis, Antonio Fresu, and Ryusei Sakai. Although none have taken it to the degree of Demeritte’s practice runs, many in this group have varying degrees of association with the Kentucky Derby. Beckman and McCarthy are former assistants to two-time Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, and Beckman also worked for Chad Brown, who has started seven horses and hit the board twice in the Derby. Asmussen’s father is Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who, from 25 Derby starters, has been second three times and third twice. Alphabetically, here is more on this year’s first-time Derby starters – don’t call them rookies. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Keith James Asmussen Jockey, Just Steel Born July 6, 1998, in Arlington, Texas . . . Won a pair of stakes last year at Oaklawn Park on Ryvit . . . Earned first graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Honeybee on Lemon Muffin. Asmussen rides in both the Derby and Oaks for the first time, with mounts on Just Steel and Lemon Muffin for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. After taking his first mounts in 2020, he took a pause to finish his master’s degree in professional accounting from the University of Texas, then resumed his full-time riding career in 2022. He has ridden 118 winners through April 26 – already far surpassing his father, who rode 63 winners from 1982-84 before starting his training career. Keith James Asmussen is now seeking to beat his father – who saddles Track Phantom this year – to the Derby winner’s circle as well. Victor Barboza Jr. Trainer, Grand Mo the First Born March 29, 1987, in Maracaibo, Venezuela . . . Leading trainer in Venezuela has multiple times led the Gulfstream Park meet . . . Has trained three graded stakes winners, including Distinta in the Grade 2 Inside Information. Barboza grew up around the racetrack and took the reins of his father’s barn in Venezuela before eventually coming to the United States. “It’s been a dream since I was a child in Venezuela,” Barboza said. “Every year, I watched the Kentucky Derby.” Whit Beckman Trainer, Honor Marie Born December 20, 1981, in Louisville, Ky. . . . Trained first stakes winner, Harlan Estate, and first graded stakes winner, Honor Marie, in 2023. Beckman grew up in the shadow of the twin spires; his father was a vet, and his mother was a rider. When he found his own way to a racing career, he spent time working in Saudi Arabia and was an assistant to Pletcher and Brown before hanging out his own shingle in 2021. Ben Curtis Jockey, Honor Marie Born Aug. 5, 1989, in Kinsale, Ireland . . . Ireland’s champion apprentice jockey in 2010 . . . Rode Dandalla to win a pair of group stakes in 2020, including the Group 3 Albany at Royal Ascot . . . Has piloted seven other group stakes winners. Travel is nothing new for Curtis, who spent three years sailing around the world with his family as a youth. A career winner of more than 1,200 races, he sought out new challenges when arriving in Louisiana in November. He found success, finishing fourth in the Fair Grounds standings by wins, taking two stakes, and picking up a Derby mount on Louisiana Derby runner-up Honor Marie. “No, I didn’t think when I came over in November that I’d be riding in the Kentucky Derby – this soon, anyway,” Curtis said. “It was definitely on my to-do list. It’s come around a bit quicker than I thought.” Phil D’Amato Trainer, Stronghold Born March 11, 1976, in San Pedro, Calif. . . . Won 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with Obviously . . . Trainer of Grade 1 winners Bowies Hero, Count Again, Fault, Going Global, Going to Vegas, Gold Phoenix, Hunt, Macadamia, Midnight Storm, Ransom the Moon, Rhea Moon, Street Fancy, and Stronghold. “I’ve worked my whole career to get to this point,” D’Amato said of his Derby debut. “It’s been my dream to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby. And to finally achieve that, I’m still taking it one day at a time. I can’t really put it into feelings. And to be able to share it with my friends, family, and owners, it’s just a good feeling.” D’Amato was an assistant to the late Mike Mitchell for more than a decade, taking over the barn when Mitchell retired in 2013, prior to his death from cancer in 2014. Larry Demeritte Trainer, West Saratoga Born Oct. 17, 1949, in the Bahamas . . . Has trained two graded stakes winners, with West Saratoga in the Grade 3 Iroquois last September joining Memorial Maniac, winner of the Grade 3 Stars and Stripes Turf in 2010 at Arlington Park. Demeritte followed in the footsteps of his father to become a Thoroughbred trainer in the Bahamas, then moved to the United States in 1976 to begin his pursuit of the race that took ahold of him. “I love it,” Demeritte said. “I love the Derby. That’s why I left the Bahamas. I always said, you can’t win the Derby unless you’re in Kentucky.” Demeritte, who will be the first Black trainer in the Kentucky Derby since 1989, when Hank Allen finished sixth with Northern Wolf, still holds his birthplace close. He wore a tie in the colors of the Bahamian flag when he saddled West Saratoga to win the Iroquois, the first Derby points race of this season. He plans to wear it again Saturday, and another victory would rock the twin spires with elation for a fairy-tale story. Demeritte lives with various health issues, including a 1996 bone cancer diagnosis. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2024: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more John Ennis Trainer, Epic Ride Born Sept. 27, 1981, in County Meath, Ireland . . . Has won three stakes races . . . Two of those came at Turfway Park this year, including the Leonatus Stakes with Epic Ride. Ennis saddled his first Grade 1 starter when Epic Ride finished third in the Blue Grass and is seeking his first graded stakes victory in the Derby with the colt, who drew in off the also-eligible list. However, he is no stranger to quality horses. He was, at one point, an exercise rider for two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, before transitioning from riding to breaking and training horses. Ennis lives in Lexington and is based out of The Thoroughbred Center. He has spent plenty of time on the highway this week, with Epic Ride in Louisville to prepare for the Derby. But it’s no hardship for the trainer. “This is not work, this is enjoyment,” Ennis said. “This is what dreams are made of. Any person, any trainer in America, would love to be driving up and down the road five times a day just to come here and see your own horse in the Derby. It’s fantastic.” Antonio Fresu Jockey, Stronghold Born Nov. 24, 1991, in Ozieri, Italy . . . A Group 1 winner of world events, including the 2021 Dubai Golden Shaheen on Zenden . . . Has won 10 graded stakes in the United States to date, including his first Grade 1 on Stronghold. Fresu built his career riding in Italy and Dubai before coming to the United States in the spring of 2023, with his base on the Southern California circuit. D’Amato sees that international experience as an asset. “I’ve seen a lot of good young European riders come from overseas to the U.S. and do very well,” the trainer said of his rider for Stronghold. “I think just their ability to adapt to various situations – they’re shifting all the time from various tracks, surfaces, and situations.” Michael McCarthy Trainer, Endlessly Born Feb. 1, 1971, in Youngstown, Ohio . . . Trained Eclipse Award champion Ce Ce, winner of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint . . . Trained 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner City of Light . . . Trained 2021 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer . . . Trained Grade 1 winners Illuminant, Ohio, Queen Goddess, Smooth Like Strait, Speech, Sweet Azteca, and There Goes Harvard. McCarthy sought out an extensive education in various aspects of the racing industry. While working his earliest jobs at the track, he also attended night classes at Cal Poly Pomona in animal husbandry and spent time working with a veterinarian and learning from track clockers. He later had a study abroad program of sorts, working at a training center in Japan and at The National Stud in England. He joined Pletcher’s barn in the summer of 2002 and was with the trainer for more than a decade before going out on his own in January 2014, settling in California. Ryusei Sakai Jockey, Forever Young Born May 31, 1997, in Tokyo, Japan . . . Earned his first Grade 1 in 2022, when Stunning Rose denied Stars On Earth the Japanese Triple Tiara with a win in the Shuka Sho . . . Has won five Grade 1 races in total, including piloting Lemon Pop to win the Champions Cup and February Stakes last year. Sakai saw how difficult it was to make the Kentucky Derby last year. He was to ride Continuar for Yahagi, but the colt was scratched less than 48 hours before the race. “After what happened last year, I really wanted to come back, but I didn’t think I would be able to come back quite this soon,” Sakai said. “I was quite pleasantly surprised.” Sakai regularly rides in massive fields in Hong Kong and Japan – more international experiences that could prove beneficial. Daisuke Takayanagi Trainer, T O Password Born June 7, 1977, in Japan . . . Won five stakes with T O Kaynes, including the Grade 1 Champions Cup in 2021 . . . Has won five graded stakes races total. Although Takayanagi doesn’t yet have the experience racing in major U.S. events that fellow countryman Yahagi does, he has always had his long-range eye on competing here. In 2017, while he was planning to embark on his training career, he visited Churchill Downs and arranged to spend time observing the operations of several local trainers, including Tom Amoss and Dale Romans. He then started his stable back home in 2018. Yoshito Yahagi Trainer, Forever Young Born March 20, 1961. in Tokyo, Japan . . . Trained 2020 Japanese Triple Crown winner and champion Contrail . . . Became the first Japanese trainer to win a Breeders’ Cup race when sending out 2021 Filly and Mare Turf heroine and champion Loves Only You and Distaff upset winner Marche Lorraine. Yahagi has been a major force in Japan’s expanding influence on world events. In addition to his Breeders’ Cup winners, his other top runners outside of Japan have included the likes of Saudi Cup and Dubai Turf winner Panthalassa, Cox Plate winner Lys Gracieux, and Dubai Turf winner Real Steel, sire of Forever Young. Yahagi found more success in the Middle East this year with Forever Young taking the Saudi Derby and U.A.E. Derby. The latter win was particularly emotional, as the trainer’s father had died just hours before. “My teacher, mentor, and father passed away this morning and I want to dedicate this win to him,” Yahagi said at the post-race press conference. Also-eligibles With Ennis’s Epic Ride drawing in to the field on Tuesday, fellow first-timer Jeff Engler is the lone also-eligible with Mugatu. He has until 9 a.m. on Friday morning to draw into the field, but there’s hope – Eric Reed’s first Derby entrant, Rich Strike, drew into the 2022 field off the also-eligible list at the deadline and shocked the world. Ohio native Engler has saddled the winners of five stakes races and is in search of his first graded victory. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.