Kentucky Derby 2013 Will Help Todd Pletcher Prove He's Racing's Dominant Figure

The 2013 Kentucky Derby will go down as the Todd Pletcher Derby. The accomplished trainer will have horses littered across the starting gate, and they will dominate the tote board.

This will undoubtedly be a welcomed and relieving result for Pletcher.

For all of his seemingly limitless success over the past decade, Todd Pletcher continues to struggle at the Kentucky Derby. 

In the 31 times he has had at least one horse run in the Kentucky Derby, he has fielded just one winner.

That came in 2010 when Super Saver pulled off a surprise win. 

That watershed moment helped Pletcher get the Kentucky Derby monkey off his back and kick his already flourishing career into overdrive. His standing heading into the Derby certainly reflects that. 

Chris Korman of the Baltimore Sun reports that in 250 runs by Pletcher horses this year, they have brought home almost $8 million in winnings.

So, it should be no surprise that he has plenty of horses ready to run in this year's Derby. Pletcher is going to have five, and possibly six, horses in this race. 

The horses are Verrazano, Revolutionary, Overanalyze, Palace Malice, Charming Kitten and possibly Winning Cause.

With 20 horses expected to line up for the Derby, this gives Pletcher excellent odds of taking the top spot.

However, it certainly doesn't guarantee anything. No one knows this better than Pletcher. In 2007, he fielded five horses in this grand race and not one finished in the money.

However, with the horses he has this year, he won't repeat that disappointing performance. 

Verrazano is widely regarded as the horse to beat in this race, as he has yet to lose a start, but that's not all. Revolutionary won the Louisiana Derby, and he will be ridden by Churchill Downs legend Calvin Borel, and it was Borel who guided Super Saver to Pletcher's lone Derby win.

We also can't forget about Arkansas Derby winner Overanalyze.

When all is said and done, look for a Pletcher horse to win the Kentucky Derby and another to finish in the money. 

At this point, there will be no denying who the current king of horse racing is.