Kentucky Derby 2017 Contenders: Horse Pedigree and Jockey Info for Top Favorites

The first Saturday in May means that the most exciting two minutes in sports is at hand. 

Horse racing may no longer be a dominant sport the way it was in the first half of the 20th century, but the Triple Crown races—and the Kentucky Derby, particularly—can still command the attention of the American sports fan in the 21st century.

The Derby is usually a wide-open race as a full field of 20 horses regularly goes to the post. That is again the case this year, and this race could once more belong to a long shot at the end of the 1 ¼-mile test.

However, the horses that will have the shortest odds are all strong and may not necessarily yield to one of the long shots.

Classic Empire is the favorite in the race, according to OddsShark. The website lists Classic Empire as a 4-1 shot (plus-400).

Classic Empire is trained by Mark E. Casse and is scheduled to be ridden by jockey Julian Leparoux; he has five wins and a third-place finish in his seven career starts.

He likes to run near the front and stalk the pace, and that's a style that can be quite successful in the Run for the Roses. Classic Empire won his last start in the Arkansas Derby, running all-out and winning by a half-length.

Classic Empire was sired by Pioneer of the Nile, and his dam was  Sambuca Classica.

Always Dreaming comes into the Derby having won three races in a row, including the 1 ⅛-mile Florida Derby which was contested April 1. The 5-1 shot is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John R. Velasquez.

In his victory at Gulfstream Park, Always Dreaming raced outside the leader for much of the race, and when Velasquez asked him to turn on his speed, he pulled away and won by five lengths.

Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Pedigree
Girvin	Joe Sharp	Mike E. Smith	Catch the Moon by Tale of Ekati
Classic Empire	Mark E. Casse	Julien. R Leparoux	Sambuca Classica by Pioneer of the Nile
Gormley	John A. Shirreffs	Jose L. Espinoza	Race to Urga by Malibu Moon
Irap	Doug F. O'Neil	Mario Gutierrez	Silken Cat by Tiznow
Irish War Cry	H. Graham Motion	Rajiv Maragh	Irish Sovereign by Curlin
Thunder Snow (IRE)	Saeed bin Suroor	Christophe Soumillon	Eastern Joy by Helmet
Always Dreaming	Todd A. Pletcher	John R. Velazquez	Above Perfection by Bodemeister
Gunnevera	Antonio Sano	Javier Castellano	Unbridled Rage by Dialed In
Practical Joke	Chad C. Brown	Joel Rosario	Halo Humor by Into Mischief
J Boys Echo	Dale L. Romans	Robby Albarado	Letgomyecho by Mineshaft
State of Honor	Mark E. Casse	Jose Lezcano	State Cup by To Honor and Serve
Tapwrit	Todd A. Pletcher	Jose L. Ortiz	Appealing Zophie by Tapit
Hence	Steven M. Asmussen	Florent Geroux	Consequential by Mr. Prospector
Fast and Accurate	Michael J. Maker	Channing Hill	It's Heidi's Dance by Hansen
McCraken	Ian R. Wilkes	Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr.	Change Water by Pretense
Battle of Midway	Jerry Hollendorfer	Flavien Prat	Polly Lee by Midway Circle
Patch	Todd A. Pletcher	Tyler Gaffalione	Windyindy by Union Rags
Untrapped	Steven M. Asmussen	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	Exit Three by Trappe Shot
Lookin at Lee	Steven M. Asmussen	Corey J. Lanerie	Langara Lass by Lookin at Lucky
Sonneteer	J. Keith Desormeaux	Kent J. Desormeaux	Gay Sonnet by Soy Numero Uno

Always Dreaming was sired by Bodemister, and Above Perfection was his dam.

Irish War Cry looks like a legitimate contender at Churchill Downs, and he may be the best horse in the race. He comes into the Kentucky Derby with odds of 8-1.

Irish War Cry has won two of his three races this year, whipping a field that included Classic Empire and Gunnevera in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 4.

After a poor showing a month later in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, he returned to winning form at the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York on April 8.

Irish War Cry is out of Irish Sovereign by Curlin, and he has the kind of running ability that should allow him to be a factor if he is close when the field turns for home. He is trained by H. Graham Motion and ridden by Rajiv Maragh.

Gunnevera comes into the Kentucky Derby with odds of 10-1 at this point in the week, and he has a couple of victories to his credit, including a win in the Fountain of Youth Stakes.

Trained by Antonio Sano and ridden by Javier Castellano, Gunnevera was sired by Dialed In, and that horse was one of last year's leading sires.

Girvin is listed at 20-1 by OddsShark, but he could be one of the race favorites as the week progresses. He is trained by Joe Sharp and ridden by Mike E. Smith. Girvin is out of Catch the Moon by Tale of Ekati.

Girvin has won three of four races, but there are doubts about his ability to run 1 ¼ miles as a result of his blood lines.

All information from KentuckyDerby.com unless otherwise noted.