Kentucky Derby 2013 Entries: Showcasing Best Names and Dark Horses

Churchill Downs is set to host the 139th annual Kentucky Derby, which will take place on Saturday, May 4. The entries are locked in, as are the post positions, and now all there is left to do is wait for the most exciting two minutes in horse racing.

From Verrazano to Frac Daddy, this field is wide open. Orb is the heavy betting favorite, but anyone who has payed attention to horse racing the past few hundred years knows that being the betting favorite doesn't mean anything.

The first leg of the Triple Crown is a one-and-a-quarter mile test of raw speed, endurance, savvy and nerves. Horses must be in peak physical condition, trainers must come up with a perfect plan and the jockeys must execute that plan without flaw to come away victorious.

The luck of the draw has something to do with winning, too, but I'll Have Another broke down a barrier in 2012 winning from the No. 19 post—the first time in history a horse won from that position.

Jockey Kevin Krigger has a chance to be the first African-American jockey to win at Churchill Downs since 1902, should Goldencents come away victorious (h/t Larry Stewart of the Long Beach Press-Telegram).

The crowd at the track on Saturday will be on pins and needles by the time the race begins, and this Derby promises to be a phenomenal race.

Race Info

Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.

Purse: $2.18 Million

Grade: I

Distance: 10 furlongs

Post Time: 7-7:30 p.m. ET

*Post positions via the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Black Onyx	Joe Bravo	Kelly Breen	50-1
2	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	30-1
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	10-1
4	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	50-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	12-1
6	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	15-1
7	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	50-1
8	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	5-1
9	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	15-1
10	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	20-1
11	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	30-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa Jr.	15-1
13	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	50-1
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	4-1
15	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	20-1
16	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	7-2
17	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
18	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	50-1
19	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	15-1
20	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	15-1

Top Horses

Orb: 7-2 Odds

Trained by Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III and ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, Orb has won four straight races heading into this year's Derby and is a heavy favorite to win the race for good reason. 

A horse with legendary bloodlines, Orb has the pedigree to make a strong run at the Triple Crown in 2013. According to Jennie Rees of the Courier-Journal.com:

"

Orb directly traces to a mare, Claiborne-bred Bold Irish...that direct line produced one of American racing’s most legendary horses – the brilliant and unbeaten filly Ruffian, who suffered fatal injuries in the 1975 match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. It also produced Private Terms, who went into the 1988 Kentucky Derby unbeaten...

"

The biggest challenge Orb and Rosario might face is where they'll start on Saturday. Drawing post No. 16, there will be plenty of traffic to overcome, as Orb isn't a particularly swift horse from the start. The strategy for this horse usually is to lay back in the middle of the pack for a minute and then kick it into high gear down the stretch. 

That said, there are some incredible sprinters in this race that will push the pace from the outset, and Rosario might need to spur his horse on with more enthusiasm than it's normally accustomed to. 

Verrazano: 4-1 Odds

If Orb is the top horse at this year's Derby, Verrazano isn't far behind.

This horse has all the physical tools to win the race, but it will have to overcome 130 years of history to do so. Verrazano didn't race as a two-year-old (h/t Jennie Rees of USA Today), and the last time a horse won the Derby after not racing as a two-year-old was in 1882. 

That said, Verrazano is also the only horse in this field to never have lost a race, and confidence can't be oversold as a legitimate boon for these horses and jockeys. 

Drawing a post position of No. 14 was a lucky break for this horse, as Verrazano is a brilliant sprinter that can get ahead of the pack in the early goings with a bit of skill and luck. 

The biggest concern will be making sure Verrazano doesn't burn out early. With proper management, this horse has an excellent chance of winning the race.

Dark-Horse Candidates To Win

Charming Kitten: 20-1 Odds

The biggest knock on Charming Kitten is that this is a horse that has never raced on dirt. 

This is one of the top three-year-old horses in the world, but a lack of experience on dirt has oddsmakers nervous about putting too much faith in Charming Kitten. 

Son of grass champion Kitten's Joy, it's not a surprise that Charming Kitten excels on turf and synthetic tracks. That said, oftentimes horses that do well on these surfaces struggle on dirt tracks.

Drawing a post position in between Orb and Verrazano could propel Charming Kitten to a highly competitive race, at the least. In seven career starts, this horse has finished in the money six times, and as a long shot he's worth taking a gamble on for a big return on your investment.

Palace Malice: 20-1 Odds

One of the bigger horses in this race, Palace Malice has the size, strength, endurance and speed to win at Churchill Downs. 

A favorable draw, at post No. 10, should give jockey Mike Smith something to smile about, as he won the 2005 Derby from the same spot with long-shot Giacomo.

Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer loves the combo:

This horse hasn't won yet this year, however, and he only has one victory to his name in the past two years. Palace Malice has proved to be a competitive horse, finishing in the money in five of six starts in 2013, and now all he needs to do to secure his legacy is finally win a big race.

A first-place finish would certainly be shocking, given this horse's track record this year, but if Smith can conjure up some of his 2005 magic, Palace Malice will be wearing a wreath of roses on Saturday afternoon.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78