Kentucky Derby 2012: Bodemeister's Hot Streak Makes Him a Serious Contender

With the Kentucky Derby only a few weeks away, there's never a better time to get hot.

And following a win in last weekend's Arkansas Derby, there's no horse that has perfected that art better than Bodemeister.

Before his big victory, his odds for the Derby—which looms large on May 5—were around 30-1 with oddsmakers.

Now, Bodemeister is strongly fancied to win and is generally quoted at 5-1. That puts him right behind Union Rags, who is still the slight favorite at 9-2.

Bodemeister inserted himself into the conversation with his convincing run at Arkansas, where he torched the competition by almost 10 lengths and banked $600,000.

Though he had only $60,000 heading into Saturday's race, the big payday erased any concern that he wouldn't be able to compete at Kentucky.

His performance at Arkansas wasn't a shock, either: The speedy, three-year-old bay colt came in second to Creative Cause in the San Felipe Derby, his previous race.

The historical odds aren't exactly in his favor, but Bodemeister has proven he has what it takes to be counted among the best. He will be making a bid to become the first horse since 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without having made a start at two.

According to Jim Barnes, an assistant who saddled the horse for Arkansas and who works with trainer Bob Baffert, overcoming 130 years of history won't be an issue. He told DRF.com's Jay Privman: 

"

He got behind in his training, which is the way it can be with young horses. But he came around. The good ones do that. He had shins, nothing major. You can’t push them. You have to take your time and let them develop and come around. 

"

That patience is bound to pay off at Kentucky, where Mike Smith will ride Bodemeister for the second time after taking the reins at Arkansas. The colt finished the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:48.6 and managed to do so despite running his final half-mile in 50.2 seconds.

He saved the best for last, showing off his speed in the final eighth of a mile and running it in 11.97 seconds to widen his lead.

Though Bodemeister will face far stiffer competition at Kentucky than he did at Arkansas, he still has a good shot at being the betting favorite for the big race.

And history aside, he deserves it. His four wins in 2012 prove that—history aside—he is one of racing's the biggest forces to be reckoned with.