Kentucky Derby 2013 Odds: Complete Roundup of Latest Lines

With the 2013 Kentucky Derby set to run on Saturday, horse racing fans and bettors are looking forward to Wednesday’s post position draw.

When that finally happens, we’ll get a better feel for the race-time odds and be able to wisely make some wagers. Until then, it’s worth it to do some preliminary planning by observing the projected field, noting the opening lines and checking out the current odds.

Let’s take a look at all of this information and highlight a few horses that you should certainly consider betting during the Run for the Roses this weekend.

 

2013 Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. | Purse: $2.18 Million | Grade I | Distance: 10 furlongs | Post Time: 7-7:30 p.m. ET 

NUMBER	NAME	TRAINER	MORNING LINE	CURRENT ODDS	$ WAGERED
1	Code West	Bob Baffert	30	29	$7,211
2	Den's Legacy	Bob Baffert	50	43	$4,983
3	Falling Sky	John Terranova, II	50	95	$2,322
4	Flashback	Bob Baffert	12	15	$13,352
5	Goldencents	Doug O'Neill	30	49	$4,384
6	Hear the Ghost	Jerry Hollendorfer	20	15	$13,529
7	Itsmyluckyday	Edward Plesa, Jr.	10	10	$18,631
8	Java's War	Kenneth McPeek	30	31	$6,831
9	Mr Palmer	William Mott	50	54	$4,013
10	Noble Tune	Chad Brown	30	50	$4,360
11	Normandy Invasion	Chad Brown	20	18	$11,370
12	Orb	Claude McGaughey III	10	13	$15,001
13	Overanalyze	Todd Pletcher	30	49	$4,395
14	Oxbow	D. Lukas	20	21	$9,977
15	Palace Malice	Todd Pletcher	50	42	$5,128
16	Revolutionary	Todd Pletcher	15	12	$16,049
17	Shakin It Up	Bob Baffert	30	36	$5,962
18	Shanghai Bobby	Todd Pletcher	15	18	$11,478
19	Uncaptured	Mark Casse	20	31	$6,920
20	Verrazano	Todd Pletcher	7/2	7	$26,174
21	Vyjack	Rudy Rodriguez	10	10	$19,153
22	War Academy	Bob Baffert	30	18	$11,185
23	Will Take Charge	D. Lukas	20	19	$10,667
24	All Other Three Ye	Unknown Trainer	6	5	$32,986

Odds via KentuckyDerby.com, current as of Tuesday, April 30.

Horses to Watch

Verrazano, 7-1

This horse is the current favorite and highly likely to go off as the projected winner. He has a strong pedigree as son of More Than Ready and a good team behind him with decorated trainer Todd Pletcher and former Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez.

Verrazano has the look of a winner, with a strong, muscular frame that he can use to accelerate quickly and overtake the weaker competitors down the stretch. He’s undefeated and has impressive Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial victories under his belt.

The only concern with Verrazano is his relative lack of experience, having only been raced starting on New Years of 2013 and competed in just four events prior to this Triple Crown race.

 

Goldencents, 49-1

You’ll certainly be hearing plenty about Goldencents over the next few days, as he’s co-owned by Louisville’s basketball coach, Rick Pitino, and trained by the controversial but effective Doug O’Neill—who won the Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2012 with I’ll Have Another.

Regardless, even if he was trained owned by unknowns, Goldencents is a great bet to win the Run for the Roses. His most impressive victory came at the Santa Anita Derby in early April, proving that he’s peaking at the right time and sure to hit the board at Churchill Downs.

His biggest strength is the ability to run wire-to-wire with enough speed and endurance to not be overtaken by the horses stalking behind, which could help him win this 10-furlong event on Saturday.

 

Frac Daddy, 45-1

Frac Daddy is a great bet for those of you that like the underdog and the long shot.

He’s completely under-the-radar right now, as he had some notable struggles after dominating Churchill Downs back in November of last year. In fact, he's so unknown that he's not even listed on the Derby webpage, but will be participating and has 45-1 odds courtesy of MarketWatch.com.

According to the Courier-Journal, this thoroughbred suffered a gash at Holy Bull and developed throat ulcers after, which derailed his training.

However, Frac Daddy is back on track and his most recent finish was a place behind Overanalyze at the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

That’s a respectable finish for a horse that suffered through so much and he should be able to position himself near the front of the pack at the conclusion of “The Most Exciting Two Minutes of Sports.”