Kentucky Derby Field 2013: Everything to Know About Each Horse and Jockey
There are two components that are 100 percent involved in the Run for the Roses at the Kentucky Derby.
One is the horses; the other is the jockeys.
You can't have a horse race without a horse, and you would be hard-pressed to watch the same horses run around the track without jockeys to steer them in the right direction. Sure—trainers, owners and breeders play a big role in the process that eventually leads three-year-old thoroughbreds to Churchill Downs, but this race is all about the human-horse component we all know and love.
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Naturally, we've got you covered with both before this American classic kicks off on Saturday afternoon in Kentucky.
Much of the attention so far has been heaped toward Orb, Verrazano and Goldencents—the three horses that were the odds-on favorites when posting and odds were announced at the track on Wednesday afternoon.
Orb and Verrazano got favorable outside draws (16 and 14, respectively), while Goldencents was locked in at No. 8, a spot that will truly test jockey Kevin Krigger as he attempts to become the first African American Derby winner since 1902.
Other storylines include no horse trained by Bob Baffert in this race for the first time since 2008 and some of the dark-horse names (Revolutionary, Itsmyluckyday, Normandy Invasion, Palace Malice) all asserting themselves after a favorable draw on Wednesday in the clubhouse.
Last year's jockey winner, Mario Gutierrez, will not be one of the 20 jockeys saddling up on Saturday, but five other jockeys who have won the bouquet of roses will be in the field, making for an exciting mix of experience and youth in the gate.
From pedigree to how top jockeys have stacked up at this race in the past, all 40 horses and jockeys are represented in the bottom portion of this piece. Not a racing buff? That's OK, you should be after edging up on some of your horse and jockey chatter to use at work or on Saturday when the race gets going.
2013 Kentucky Derby Post Positions
| 1 | Black Onyx | Joe Bravo | Kelly Breen | 50-1 |
| 2 | Oxbow | Gary Stevens | D. Wayne Lukas | 30-1 |
| 3 | Revolutionary | Calvin Borel | Todd Pletcher | 10-1 |
| 4 | Golden Soul | Robby Albarado | Dallas Stewart | 50-1 |
| 5 | Normandy Invasion | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown | 12-1 |
| 6 | Mylute | Rosie Napravnik | Tom Amoss | 15-1 |
| 7 | Giant Finish | Jose L. Espinoza | Anthony W. Dutrow | 50-1 |
| 8 | Goldencents | Kevin Krigger | Doug O'Neill | 5-1 |
| 9 | Overanalyze | Rafael Bejarano | Todd Pletcher | 15-1 |
| 10 | Palace Malice | Mike Smith | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 11 | Lines of Battle | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | 30-1 |
| 12 | Itsmyluckyday | Elvis Trujillo | Eddie Plesa, Jr. | 15-1 |
| 13 | Falling Sky | Luis Saez | John Terranova II | 50-1 |
| 14 | Verrazano | John R. Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 4-1 |
| 15 | Charming Kitten | Edgar Prado | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 16 | Orb | Joel Rosario | Claude R. McGaughey III | 7-2 |
| 17 | Will Take Charge | Jon Court | D. Wayne Lukas | 20-1 |
| 18 | Frac Daddy | Victor Lebron | Kenny McPeek | 50-1 |
| 19 | Java's War | Julien Leparoux | Kenny McPeek | 15-1 |
| 20 | Vyjack | Garrett Gomez | Rudy Rodriguez | 15-1 |
*Odds courtesy the NBC Sports Network broadcast, can also be found at DRF.com. Post positions via the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account.
Complete Horse/Jockey Breakdown
Black Onyx/Joe Bravo
| Derby Post | 1 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Spiral Stakes (G3) |
| Father | Rock Hard Ten |
| Mother | Kalahari Cat |
| Owner | Sterling Racing Stables LLC |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Oxbow/Gary Stevens
| Derby Post | 2 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Lecomte (G3) |
| Father | Awesome Again |
| Mother | Tizamazing |
| Owner | Bluegrass Hall LLC |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 3 (1988, 1995, 1997) |
Revolutionary/Calvin Borel
| Derby Post | 3 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Withers (G3) and Louisiana Derby (G2) |
| Father | War Pass |
| Mother | Runup the Colors |
| Owner | WinStar Farm LLC |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 3 (2007, 2009, 2010) |
Golden Soul/Robby Albarado
| Derby Post | 4 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, Lecomte (G3) |
| Father | Perfect Soul |
| Mother | Hollywood Gold |
| Owner | Charles E. Fipke |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Normandy Invasion/Javier Castellano
| Derby Post | 5 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, Wood Memorial (G1) and Remsen (G2) |
| Father | Tapit |
| Mother | Boston Lady |
| Owner | Fox Hill Farms, Inc. |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Mylute/Rosie Napravnik
| Derby Post | 6 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, Louisiana Derby (G2) and Jean Lafitte |
| Father | Midnight Lute |
| Mother | Stage Stop |
| Owner | Gold Mark Farm, LLC |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Giant Finish/Jose L. Espinoza
| Derby Post | 7 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, John Battaglia Memorial |
| Father | Frost Giant |
| Mother | Apocalyptic |
| Owner | Andy Cohen |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Goldencents/Kevin Krigger
| Derby Post | 8 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Santa Anita Derby (G1), Sham Stakes/Delta Downs Jackpot (G3) |
| Father | Into Mischief |
| Mother | Golden Works |
| Owner | Dave Kenney—W.C. Racing |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Overanalyze/Rafael Bejarano
| Derby Post | 9 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Arkansas Derby (G1), Remsen and Futurity (G2) |
| Father | Dixie Union |
| Mother | Unacloud |
| Owner | Repole Stable |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Palace Malice/Mike Smith
| Derby Post | 10 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, Blue Grass (G1) |
| Father | Curlin |
| Mother | Palace Ruler |
| Owner | Dogwood Stable |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 1 (2005) |
Lines of Battle/Ryan Moore
| Derby Post | 11 |
| Best Finish | 1st, UAE Derby (G2) |
| Father | War Front |
| Mother | Black Speck |
| Owner | Allen/Magnier/Smith/Tabor |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Itsmyluckyday/Elvis Trujillo
| Derby Post | 12 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Holy Bull Stakes (G3), Gulfstream Park Derby |
| Father | Lawyer Ron |
| Mother | Viva La Slew |
| Owner | Laurie Plesa—Trilogy Stables |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Falling Sky/Luis Saez
| Derby Post | 13 |
| Horse Best Finish | 1st, Sam F. Davis (G3) |
| Father | Lion Heart |
| Mother | Sea Dragoness |
| Owner | Newtown Anner Stud |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Verrazano/John R. Velazquez
| Derby Post | 14 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Wood Memorial (G1), Tampa Bay Derby (G2) |
| Father | More Than Ready |
| Mother | Enchanted Rock |
| Owner | Magnier/Smith/Tabor—Let's Go Stable |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 1 (2011) |
Charming Kitten/Edgar Prado
| Derby Post | 15 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Kitten's Joy Stakes |
| Father | Kitten's Joy |
| Mother | Iteration |
| Owner | Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 1 (2006) |
Orb/Joel Rosario
| Derby Post | 16 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Florida Derby (G1), Fountain of Youth (G2) |
| Father | Malibu Moon |
| Mother | Lady Liberty |
| Owner | Stuart S. Janney III—Phipps Stable |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Will Take Charge/Jon Court
| Derby Post | 17 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Rebel Stakes (G2), Smarty Jones |
| Father | Unbridled's Song |
| Mother | Take Charge Lady |
| Owner | Willis D. Horton |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Frac Daddy/Victor Lebron
| Derby Post | 18 |
| Best Finish | 2nd, Arkansas Derby (G1), Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) |
| Father | Scat Daddy |
| Mother | Skipper's Mate |
| Owner | Magic City Thoroughbred Partners |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Java's War/Julien Leparoux
| Derby Post | 19 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Blue Grass (G1) |
| Father | War Pass |
| Mother | Java |
| Owner | Charles E. Fipke |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
Vyjack/Garrett Gomez
| Derby Post | 20 |
| Best Finish | 1st, Gotham Stakes (G3) and Jerome Handicap (G2) |
| Father | Into Mischief |
| Mother | Life Happened |
| Owner | Pick Six Racing |
| Jockey Derby Wins | 0 |
*Information from Horseracingnation.com was used to compile this report.
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