Kentucky Derby 2013 Horses: Palace Malice and Longshots You Should Bet on

The Kentucky Derby is ripe for an upset. 

Orb is a modest favorite. Verrazano and Goldencents aren't far behind, and those three horses are justifiably garnering the bulk of the attention. However, there is not a lot separating the horses in this field. 

Even if Orb was an overwhelming favorite, would it really matter? Not if you put any stock in this NBC tweet: 

Besides, it's more fun to pick an upset winner than a favorite. Here are three horses who can pull it off. 

And take a look at the post positions and morning line at KentuckyDerby.com—when odds appear in parentheses, it refers to the morning line. 

Normandy Invasion (12-1)

In the Wood Memorial on April 6, Normandy Invasion stormed to the finish line to place, by less than a length, behind the undefeated Verrazano (4-1). And it wasn't that Verrazano was fading, either. Normandy Invasion just had a faster finishing kick. 

The Wood Memorial is a nine-furlong race; the Kentucky Derby is 10. Based on the way they were running, Normandy Invasion would have passed Verrazano by the 10th furlong.

Now, obviously the horses and jockeys will run different races with the added distance, so it isn't as simple as saying Invasion can beat Verrazano (4-1) in a longer race based on the Wood Memorial. 

However, that finishing kick was impressive, and while this horse doesn't have a win in his last three races (all graded stakes), he may just be coming into his own. 

A good sign of that being the case is that jockey Javier Castellano picked this horse as his mount over Revolutionary (10-1).

I wouldn't be surprised to see the odds on Normandy Invasion drop on race day, but at 12-1 this is a great bet. 

Mylute (15-1)

Mylute is an experienced horse with the talent to win. The question is can he find the will to win.

His last time out, he made a late charge in the Louisiana Derby and looked to have leader Revolutionary (10-1) passed, but he couldn't finish the job.

That is the story of his career.

Mylute has just two wins in his nine races, and neither of the wins came in graded stakes. However, this horse has the speed to win, and he has experience on his side. He is just one of two horses to have seven races as a two-year-old.

Taking off from the sixth post isn't perfect, as he'd likely prefer to be more outside, but he should be able to avoid the push to the rail and make one of his late charges. 

Palace Malice (20-1)

If you're looking for little longer shot, Palace Malice is the choice.

Coming in as part of Todd Pletcher's small army of horses for this race, it is easy to overlook this horse. After all, Palace Malice has a second, seventh and third in his last three races, which were all graded stakes. 

However, his last time out, Palace Malice was just overtaken by Java's War (15-1) at the line to finish second at the Grade-1, nine-furlong Bluegrass Stakes. 

Aiding Palace Malice will be the experienced hand of former Derby champ Mike Smith. Smith has not ridden this horse in a race, but he should help Malice—who can struggle with his focus.