Publisher Aims to Win the Kentucky Derby as a maiden

Only three colts have managed to shine at Churchill Downs without a prior win, including Sir Barton, who would go on to complete the Triple Crown in 1919

Publisher heads down the Churchill Downs stretch during a morning workout / COADY PHOTOGRAPHY /HIPISMONET

By Diego H. Mitagstein

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Special to Turf Diario).- In the long and storied history of the Kentucky Derby (G1), just three colts have managed to win the United States’ most important race without having previously visited the winner’s circle: Buchanan (Buckden) in 1884, Sir Barton (Star Shoot) in 1919, and Brokers Tip (Black Toney) in 1933. Remarkably, Sir Barton would go on to complete the first-ever sweep of the Triple Crown.

The 2024 renewal of the Run for the Roses will feature among its 20 starters another maiden trying to make history: Publisher (American Pharoah). Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and owned by Gus King and the Estate of Brereton C. Jones—who also bred him—the bay colt will have Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons. Publisher brings a pair of runner-up efforts to the Derby, including a strong second-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in his most recent outing.

Since 1937, according to available records, a dozen maidens have started in the Kentucky Derby, none managing to crack the code. In 1945, Bert G. (Maedic) finished fourteenth, a result matched by Senecas Coin (Curious Coin) four years later. On the Mark (Equestrian) managed an eighth-place effort in 1950—the best finish by a maiden since Brokers Tip’s win—while Flamingo (Phalanx) checked in thirteenth in 1958.

The Chosen One (Andy’s Glory) was fourteenth in 1959, and Fourulla (Four-And-Twenty) fared even worse in 1971, finishing nineteenth. Great Redeemer (Holy Land) ran tenth in 1979, while Pendleton Ridge (Cox’s Ridge) finished thirteenth in 1990.

More recently, Nationalore (Video Ranger) came home ninth in 1998; Trojan Nation (Street Cry) and Sonneteer(Midnight Lute) finished sixteenth in 2016 and 2017, respectively; and Bodexpress (Bodemeister) was thirteenth in 2019.

Early betting odds list Publisher at 20-1 for this year’s Kentucky Derby, and with no clear standout in the field, his connections are quietly optimistic. Maybe, just maybe, Publisher will find the perfect stage on which to rewrite his story—and a little piece of history.