2019 Kentucky Derby draw, horses, odds, analysis and start time
Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018, has three horses in the Kentucky Derby. The most promising is Game Winner, winner of the Breeder's Cup Juvenile in 2018 and runner up in the Santa Anita Derby this past April. His other two horses, Roadster (the winner of the Santa Anita Derby) and Improbable (a son of City Zip, who is looking for his first win as a 3-year-old) are among the top betting choices.
The morning-line favorite, however, is Omaha Beach, winner of the Arkansas Derby and the Rebel Stakes. Richard Mandella's quest for an elusive Kentucky Derby victory - he's 0 for 6 in his 45-year Hall of Fame career - will be in the hands of two-time, Derby-winning jockey Mike Smith, who was aboard Mandella's dark brown colt in the horse's last two victories.
"Hopefully, Omaha Beach is getting better," Smith told Ed Golden of the Paulick Report. "The Derby is a tough race with a tough bunch of three-year-olds, but Omaha Beach seems to be the 'now' horse."
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Post Time
Saturday, 5:50 p.m. Central time, NBC
Here's a closer look at the full 20-horse field for the 2019 Kentucky Derby:
No. 1 War of Will (20-1)
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
His disappointment in the Louisiana Derby was due to a slip out of the starting gate, but he looked impressive in three wins before that. Breaking from the rail is problematic: the last winner from this post was Ferdinand in 1986.
No. 2 Tax (20-1)
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Claimed for $50,000 in October, he's hit the board in three graded stakes races since and has the pedigree to last at the classic distance. Unfortunately, geldings like Tax have only won the Kentucky Derby four times in 115 chances since 1908 with the most recent four never finishing better than 16th.
No. 3 By My Standards (20-1)
Trainer: Bret Calhoun
Jockey: Gabriel Saez
Calhoun's upset winner of the Louisiana Derby has one of the highest speed figures in the field. His sire, Goldencents, is a two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile but finished 17th in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.
No. 4 Gray Magician (50-1)
Trainer: Peter Miller
Jockey: Drayden Van Dyke
This year's UAE Derby runner-up is taking a big step up in class here, but his pedigree screams speed and his front-running style could keep him in the mix until the end. A true wild card.
No. 5 Improbable (6-1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
This chestnut son of City Zip never finished worse than second in five races, including his last two graded stakes against fellow Derby competitors. He will have blinkers off, a worrying sign Baffert is still tinkering with his horse.
No. 6 Vekoma (20-1)
Trainer: George Weaver
Jockey: Javier Castellano
This forward-running colt won the Blue Grass by 3-1/2 lengths despite a fast pace and will have four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Javier Castellano in the saddle on Saturday.
No. 7 Maximum Security (10-1)
Trainer: Jason Servis
Jockey: Luis Saez
This former $16,000 maiden-claimer got a perfect trip in the Florida Derby. He could be let loose on the lead in a field devoid of speed.
No. 8 Tacitus (10-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
This son of Tapit leaped to the top of the Derby's points leaderboard with wins in the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial but neither were against stiff competition.
No. 9 Plus Que Parfait (30-1)
Trainer: Brendan Walsh
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Imperial Racing's ridgeling is the first U.S.-based horse to win the UAE Derby but winners of that race are 0-for-10 in the Kentucky Derby. The best finish for a UAE Derby winner was Master of Hounds in 2011, a fifth-place effort.
No. 10 Cutting Humor (30-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Pletcher's Derby hopeful set a track record in the Sunland Derby and has posted triple-digit Brisnet Late Pace figures (how fast the horse ran from the pre-stretch call to the finish) in three of his last four starts. He could get a piece of the superfecta at a nice price.
No. 11 Haikal (30-1)
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Jockey: Rajiv Maragh
This New York-based colt hit the board in five starts but all required pace meltdowns over shorter distances. It is unlikely he gets a similar blistering pace in this year's Run for the Roses.
No. 12 Omaha Beach (4-1)
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Jockey: Mike Smith
He led wire-to-wire in his last two prep races and Mike Smith, a two-time Derby winner, aboard makes him a worthy morning-line favorite.
No. 13 Code of Honor (15-1)
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Jockey: John Velazquez
Code of Honor's late push at Gulfstream Park, which favors front-running horses, in the Florida Derby was impressive and could set him up to round out the exotics but that's a best-case scenario.
No. 14 Win Win Win (15-1)
Trainer: Michael Trombetta
Jockey: Julian Pimentel
This closer got bumped in the Blue Grass and overcame a front-running bias at Keeneland to hold on for second. He closed into a fast pace in the Tampa Bay Derby, too.
No. 15 Master Fencer (50-1)
Trainer: Koichi Tsunoda
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
Just one maiden win (albeit a stakes race) in 2018 and one allowance win in January in six starts is all that's on this horse's résumé. The first Japanese-bred Derby contestant appears to be outmatched here despite having run the classic distance twice on the turf.
No. 16 Game Winner (5-1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Joel Rosario
He is trying to become the third Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to win the Derby in 34 years. He would be the first to do it without winning any race in between.
No. 17 Roadster (6-1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Florent Geroux
The Santa Anita Derby winner is peaking at the right time after throat surgery and a long layoff. Can he win outside of California? No horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby from this post (0 for 40).
No. 18 Long Range Toddy (30-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Jon Court
Asmussen saw his colt step up in class in the Arkansas Derby against three Derby competitors, but walked away with a sixth-place finish, 14 lengths behind the winner.
No. 19 Spinoff (30-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Manny Franco
This son of Hard Spun was caught four wide on the turn in the Louisiana Derby before giving way in the stretch, but that didn't stop him from earning a career-high Brisnet speed figure (102).
No. 20 Country House (30-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Country House earned a spot in the Derby due to his third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby but hasn't dealt with a fast pace since the Risen Star in February.