Kentucky Derby Field 2012: Longshots Not Worth Wasting Money on

The dream of every horse handicapper is nailing down a horse with incredibly long odds and cashing in a huge ticket.

Now that the post positions have been posted and the odds have been updated, we can officially identify who the biggest longshots are in Saturday’s race.

While horses like Alpha (15-1), Daddy Long Legs (30-1) and Prospective (30-1) are all worth a flier, steer clear of the following. They may look like an appealing payout, but in reality have no shot of winning the Derby.

My Adonis (50-1)

This horse may not even be in the race this year. For the first time ever, the Derby has added “also eligible” or “alternate entries” to the field. Right now, My Adonis is on the outside looking in.

He comes to Churchill Downs off a dreadful performance at the Wood. Therefore, even if a horse goes down before the race, there is a slim chance this horse will even crack the top 10.

Sanity (30-1)

After winning a G3-Delta $1 million jackpot as a juvenile, he was essentially automatically placed into the Derby.

Problem is, since that race, Sanity has been a shell of his former self. This horse has regressed of late, and while you do have to love his closing speed, all signs point to a disappointing finish for this declining colt.  

Rousing Sermon (50-1)

I really hate the post position Rousing Sermon drew. Standing at the seventh gate, he is sandwiched between Bodemeister (the current trendy pick to win it) and Creative Cause (the horse with the second-best odds to win).

Rousing Sermon’s most recent finish was third at the Louisiana Derby, but he has never displayed the closing speed necessary to keep up against the best in the sport.

This is an okay horse, but there is nothing that stands out about him. 

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.