Kentucky Derby Odds 2013: Favorites Who Will Live Up to Top Billing

The 2013 Kentucky Derby is just days away now and, with the release of the post positions, the biggest question remaining is who's going to win the prestigious event.

Plenty of money is bound to flow in for various horses throughout the field in the next few days, but the majority of that will come for the favorites that will be expected to dominate the race Saturday. However, as we know from experience, that's not always the case and it's often an outsider who ends up emerging triumphant in the Run for the Roses.

Will that be the case this year or will the more-favored horses end up victorious?

Read on to see the top favorites for this year's race that won't disappoint on their short-price quote and will live up to their top billing in the 139th Kentucky Derby.

2013 Kentucky Derby: Full Odds Listing for Every Horse

*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

2013 Kentucky Derby: Top Favorites To Count On

3. Revolutionary (currently 7/2)

Revolutionary is a gritty horse who is becoming more and more appealing as the big day comes closer—especially if the track is a little off this year as expected and the race speed isn't that quick overall.

His jockey, Calvin "Bo-Rail" Borel, will be thrilled to have an inside draw and is more than capable of navigating his way through the field. Moreover, if this is an off track, Borel will thrive under the circumstances, having already guided Kentucky Derby winners to victory on off tracks.

Revolutionary's run in the Withers Stakes was nothing short of incredible. After being knocked at the start and then blocked for a run several times down the straight, he was still able to emerge with the win. The longer straight at Churchill Downs will surely suit him in that, and he'll be a particularly tough horse to stop if he finds some clear running room here.

16. Orb (currently 5/2)

Orb is the hot favorite coming into the race this year, and for good reason.

He has shown blistering speed and ability throughout 2013 and wasn't at all hindered by the barrier draw—meaning we could well see the 5/2 quote shorten over the next few days. The Shug McGaughey-trained horse could even go off around 2/1.

Orb has shown that he knows how to win a close race—which this will surely be—and will thrive under the slower pace that this year's field will bring to the event.

He has a great pedigree for the 1.25-mile course. Once he hits the front, he will be very tough to run down. Short of being blocked for a run or knocked during the straight, it would take an incredible performance to beat Orb to the finish line this year.

5. Normandy Invasion (currently 15/1)

I know, I know—15/1 isn't exactly a favorite—but I think we could well see Normandy Invasion shorten on the day of the race when conditions are known. If this track is off a little, Normandy Invasion's blistering speed down the outside will be even more of a factor than it would otherwise.

The No. 5 slot isn't the worst draw for Normandy Invasion given that he'll probably sit back here. He'll look to tack on to one of the other horses that will make a run from the back and explode once they enter the home straight.

He'll benefit from the long finish at Churchill Downs and could very well end up gunning down all the leaders here if he times his run right.

His second place at the Wood Memorial could have been a victory if he'd gone around 100 yards earlier in the race, or if the straight was just a little bit longer.

Look for Javier Castellano—who chose to ride Normandy Invasion over the more-favored Revolutionary—to get it right with the colt Saturday.

And when that happens, look for him to be a real contender come the finishing post.

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