A berth in the Kentucky Derby will be on the line when 10 horses leave the starting gate in the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. The signature race of the 2023-24 season at Tampa Bay Downs, the Tampa Bay Derby 2024 will award 105 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis, virtually guaranteeing the winner a spot in the Derby starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. On Saturday, Sam F. Davis Stakes winner No More Time is the 7-5 favorite in the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby odds. The Chad Brown-trained Domestic Product is 8-5 in the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby lineup.
Post time for the Tampa Bay Derby 2024 is 5:18 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2024 Tampa Bay Derby picks.
A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team since 2017, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014.
In April of last year, he hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park for $641, the exacta in the Florida Derby, a Pick 5 at Keeneland and the exacta in the Lexington Stakes. He smashed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes for $532.96, and later in June he crushed a Pick 4 at Belmont for $555. Those were just some of his scores from 2023.
In addition, Weir has a history of crushing the Tampa Bay Derby. In 2021, he hit the exacta for $1,414, and two years ago, he nailed the race for $660.
Now, he has handicapped the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Tampa Bay Derby predictions
One surprise: Weir's top pick is not No More Time, even though he is the 7-5 favorite. A son of 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Not This Time, No More Time has started four times in his career, winning twice. He enters the Tampa Bay Derby 2024 in good form, having won the local prep race, the Sam F. Davis Stakes.
However, both times No More Time has not been leading halfway through the race he has lost, and Weir sees other horses in the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby field who could be in front early. "I'm not convinced he's a need-the-lead horse, but he could be vulnerable on Saturday with more forwardly placed horses," Weir told SportsLine. You can see all of Weir's 2024 Tampa Bay Derby bets here.
How to make 2024 Tampa Bay Derby picks
Moreover, Weir's top pick is a longshot who "has faced some tough horses." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who may be "a little better than he looks on paper." Weir is including these horses in his 2024 Tampa Bay Derby bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Tampa Bay Derby 2024, and what double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Tampa Bay Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for the Tampa Bay Derby, all from the horse racing insider who has nailed the Tampa Bay Derby two of the last three years, and find out.
2024 Tampa Bay Derby odds, contenders
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
| 1 | Heartened | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Everdoit | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Give Me Liberty | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Good Money | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Domestic Product | 8-5 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Catire Vizcaya | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | No More Time | 7-5 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Crazy Mason | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Grand Mo the First | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 10 | Sturdy | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
