Kentucky Derby 2013 Odds: Breaking Down Best and Worst Bets in This Year's Field

The field of 20 horses has been set, post positions have been drawn and all that's left to do is crown a Kentucky Derby winner on Saturday evening at Churchill Downs.

There are several favorites to win the 139th Run for the Roses this weekend, but two of these contenders look to be better bets than the others. With plenty of past performances to look back on, and tons of Derby history to dissect, it's time to take a closer look at some of this year's popular bets.

Here are the latest odds for the entire field, plus a breakdown of the best and worst bets 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

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

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Black Onyx	Joe Bravo	Kelly Breen	50-1
2	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	33-1
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	9-1
4	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	50-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	9-1
6	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	16-1
7	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	50-1
8	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	11-2
9	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	14-1
10	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	25-1
11	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	33-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa, Jr.	12-1
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	25-1
16	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	4-1
17	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
18	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	40-1
19	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	16-1
20	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	14-1

Best Bets

Orb, 4-1

Orb looks poised to become the first betting favorite to win the Kentucky Derby since Big Brown in 2008.

"

GI Florida Derby winner Orb was visually impressive in his first work at the Churchill Downs oval. The D. Wayne... fb.me/P9INZ3Kd

— TDN (@theTDN) April 30, 2013"

The talented colt has won four consecutive races, including the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Grade I Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. Ridden by jockey Joel Rosario, Orb should be in the mix from start to finish, especially after drawing post No. 16.

Post No. 16 has produced four Derby winners since 1995, including 2011 winner Animal Kingdom.

There doesn't look to be much standing in Orb's way this weekend. Shug McGaughey's horse has an impressive resume that speaks for itself, and his post draw couldn't be more promising.

Goldencents, 11-2

You have to love Goldencents' chances of winning this weekend at Churchill Downs. 

With 11-2 odds and riding out of post No. 8, there isn't much stopping the Grade I Santa Anita Derby winner from capturing the 139th Run for the Roses, even with Orb, Verrazano and Revolutionary all looking strong going in.

If you need another reason to like Goldencents, who is co-owned by Louisville basketball head coach Rick Pitino, just remember he is trained by last year's Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill.

Kevin Krigger will sit atop Goldencents this weekend. Krigger is just the second black jockey to ride in the Derby since 1921, according to Men's Journal's Ryan Goldberg.

Worst Bets

Java's War, 16-1

Ken McPeek's Java's War will start way outside at post No. 19 on Saturday, the same post I'll Have Another won from a year ago.

Unfortunately, I'll Have Another was the first horse in the history of the Kentucky Derby to win from post No. 19, stacking the odds heavily against a horse who won the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass Stakes last month from post No. 4.

Java's War should struggle to keep pace with the favorites. After all, he has never won from outside the inner 10 posts, making him a bad bet on Saturday at 16-to-1.

Will Take Charge, 20-1

Two posts down from Java's War is Will Take Charge, a D. Wayne Lukas-trained horse that drew the most challenging starting slot in Derby history by the numbers.

No horse has ever won the Run for the Roses from post No. 17, so Will Take Charge will attempt to become the first in 2013. Ridden by jockey Jon Court, the Grade II Rebel Stakes winner will have to deal with favorite Orb from the opening gun. 

Will Take Charge will have a lot of time to settle inside with the pack, but with other favorites like Revolutionary, Goldencents and Verrazano likely setting the pace from the inside, Lukas' thoroughbred could definitely find himself at a disadvantage.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.