Kentucky Derby Odds 2013: Latest Betting Lines and Predictions

The 2013 Kentucky Derby promises to live up to its billing as the “most exciting two minutes in sports.”

A handful of contenders are competing to be adorned with the blanket of roses, and millions of fans are hoping to make the correct picks and cash in. 

With so many horses in the race, it’s tough to narrow down which ones to bet on and where value can be found. Fortunately, we have you covered, so keep reading to find out the latest odds for each competitor, get some advice on which ones to bet, see our prediction on the winner and more.

Black Onyx a Last-Minute Scratch

The horse was at the No. 1 post position, but the slot closest to the rail in the starting gates will now unfortunately be vacant.

Churchill Downs PR's Twitter page broke news on Friday that the 50-1 long shot would have to be scratched from the lineup.

"

Breaking News: Black Onyx has been scratched from #KyDerby 139. Stewards decide that post 1 will be left open. More info coming. #breaking

— Churchill Downs PR (@DerbyMedia) May 3, 2013"

The Kentucky Derby's official Twitter page announced the reasoning behind the decision made by trainer Kelly Breen to pull his horse out of the Run for the Roses:

"

Black Onyx has a chip in his left ankle, non-displaced. Noticed some swelling in the ankle previous to training. #KyDerby

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 3, 2013"

Now it will be a slightly lighter field with 19 competitors, and all the best wishes go to Black Onyx as he can hopefully recover from this setback and take to the track again soon.

Betting Lines, Field and Complete Race Information

Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. | Purse: $2.18 Million | Grade I | Distance: 10 furlongs | Post Time: 6:24 p.m. ET

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Black Onyx	SCR	SCR	N/A
2	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	25-1
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	5-1
4	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	31-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	8-1
6	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	14-1
7	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	44-1
8	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	5-1
9	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	14-1
10	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	26-1
11	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	42-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa, Jr.	11-1
13	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	49-1
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	11-1
15	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	32-1
16	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	6-1
17	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	31-1
18	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	15-1
19	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	22-1
20	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	43-1

*Odds via KentuckyDerby.com, current as of Saturday, May 4 at 9:00 a.m. ET

The Bad Bet: Charming Kitten at 32-1

Charming Kitten is simply a non-threat in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

This horse hasn’t proven anything during the prep period and is fortunate to even be lining up at the same starting gate as some of these other contenders.

Because of his third-place finish at the Blue Grass Stakes, Charming Kitten will be able to run for the roses, but he isn’t worth a bet as one of the longest shots on the board, even with Todd Pletcher training the thoroughbred.

Charming Kitten prefers to sit off the pace and utilize stamina to come from behind down the stretch, but he hasn’t been tested on dirt. That inexperience will be the ultimate downfall in this horse’s long-shot bid to win the Kentucky Derby.

Stock Rapidly Rising: Frac Daddy at 15-1

Many slept on Frac Daddy claiming the blanket of roses as a relatively unknown long shot.

The horse put himself on the map with a great winning run at Churchill Downs back in November and—after some struggles—recently placed behind Overanalyze in the Arkansas Derby.

Frac Daddy should start up near the front of the pack and use his elite speed to remain there; he also possesses the endurance to hold off late surges down the stretch.

The chain reaction caused by Black Onyx pulling out has vaulted Frac Daddy into the discussion as a contender. A rainy forecast (h/t Weather.com) may foster an off track, which works to his advantage due to his formidable size and aforementioned swiftness.

He may not cross the finish line first, but there’s little doubt that Frac Daddy will be right in the thick of things at the end. 

Opening Favorite: Orb at 7-2

A No. 16 post position isn't ideal, and may have contributed to his odds worsening to 6-1 on Friday., but it should not be too much for the original morning line favorite to overcome.

Shug McGaughey has only won one of horse racing's three biggest events, which was the 1989 Belmont Stakes with Easy Goer. Extremely successful jockey Joel Rosario doesn't have a Triple Crown victory to his credit, either.

It's a generally wide-open race, with all sorts of possible winners. The odds-on favorite hasn't won in the four previous derbies, so recent history is stacked against Orb in that regard.

Having said that, this is a unique horse, and the experts have been almost universally praising him—particularly the Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman. He watched Orb work and noted that if he ran like that on Kentucky Derby Saturday, everyone else would be running for second.

That's pretty strong testimonial, and it's the type of impression Orb has left on a lot of observers, which is why he passed the undefeated Verrazano as the thoroughbred to beat initially.

Opening Top Challenger: Verrazano at 4-1

Verrazano is a late bloomer that is coming into the “most exciting two minutes in sports” with an undefeated record and much fanfare. While Orb is the true favorite right now, it wouldn't be shocking if Verrazano reclaimed the spot prior to post time.

He destroyed the competition at the Tampa Bay Derby and pulled off a solid win at Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, peaking at the right time to generate excitement and favorite status for the Kentucky Derby.

Jockey John Velazquez, who won the 2011 iteration of this event aboard Animal Kingdom, will ride this Todd Pletcher-trained horse, despite coming off an injury suffered at Aqueduct on April 7 (one day after joining Verrazano in the Wood Memorial win).

There are concerns about Verrazano’s experience, as he didn’t begin racing until New Year's Day of 2013 and prefers to start out at a slow pace—which could be his eventual downfall with a relatively speedy field.

Regardless, Verrazano is a true threat to capture this Triple Crown race and should be right near the front of the pack down the stretch—even if his odds have since dropped to 11-1.

The Winner: Goldencents at 5-1

While more serious bettors may be put off by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino’s ownership stake and fan favoritism surrounding this horse, Goldencents is the best bet on the board to win it all.

Goldencents hit his stride at the perfect time, winning the Santa Anita Derby in early April before heading to Kentucky to train for the Run for the Roses.

His style is also perfectly suited for this 10-furlong sprint, as he has shown the propensity to go wire-to-wire with enough speed and stamina to win this race.

Factor in that Doug O’Neill—who won two legs of the Triple Crown last year with I’ll Have Another—is training this thoroughbred, and you are looking at a recipe for success in 2013.

This calm, collected horse should have no problem starting off hot and finishing even stronger on May 4, and his move to co-favorite status with Revolutionary supports that assertion.