Kentucky Derby 2013 Odds: Early Look at Top Contenders in Run for the Roses

The road to the Kentucky Derby will come to a close on Saturday with the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. It will mark the end of a seven-month process to ensure the top three-year-old horses qualified for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

There are still some important factors that will be decided before race day (May 4), including the always important post positions, but the top contenders have already emerged. It's definitely setting up to become an ultra-competitive derby.

With that in mind, let's examine the top horses, as things currently stand, with just over a week until the biggest horse racing day of the year. All odds are courtesy of allhorseracing.ag.

Verrazano (4/1)

Verrazano is undefeated in four starts. Over the past couple of months, he triumphed in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and backed it up, with his best showing to date, in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial. He outlasted fellow derby contender Normandy Invasion to win that race.

The toughest thing to decipher with a horse that's never lost is whether it is truly that good or simply hasn't had enough time to have an off-race. Verrazano has limited experience compared to the other derby hopefuls.

Winning a couple of graded stakes races suggests he's a worthy favorite. The talented colt hasn't been forced to face much adversity so far, however, which could become an issue if he draws a poor post position next week.

Orb (6/1)

Orb is an interesting case. It took four races at three different tracks before he was finally able to break his maiden last November. While it wasn't an ideal start to his career, something seemed to click in that fourth race, and he's been unstoppable ever since.

Counting that victory, he's won four straight times, including wins in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and, most recently, the Florida Derby. Like Verrazano, he enters the sport's marquee race after two solid wins. It makes him one of the top early picks.

Orb's recent form, which wasn't affected by the jockey change from Joel Rosario to John Velazquez, is hard to ignore. At the same time, those early struggles are still something to consider before picking him to beat a deep field.

Revolutionary (15/2)

Revolutionary has been on a roll of his own. He was actually in the field when Orb broke his maiden and proceeded to win his next race to do the same. Like the other top contenders, he enters the derby on a winning streak.

The last two wins came in the Withers Stakes and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Although neither of those wins can match the best victories of Verrazano and Orb, they were both against solid fields. Mylute was in the Louisiana Derby and should generate some buzz as well.

After the top two, there's a little bit of a drop-off before the next tier of horses, which Revolutionary leads. The biggest question mark for him is whether he can handle the distance against the derby field. His recent results would suggest he's got the necessary talent.