Kentucky Derby 2013 Favorites: Orb and Strongest Contenders to Watch

Orb opened Wednesday as the 7-2 favorite amongst the 2013 Kentucky Derby's 20-horse field. The Shug McGaughey-trained horse will also have Joel Rosario in the saddle at Churchill Downs, who is one of the year's most successful jockeys in terms of earnings.

Despite the strong support team surrounding Orb, there are other legitimate contenders that should give the top-flight thoroughbred a serious push in the 139th Run for the Roses.

Below is a breakdown of Orb and those who are likeliest to thwart his bid for the winners circle, which

Orb (7-2)

After some impressive workouts since arriving at Churchill Downs, Orb overtook Verrazano as the odds-on favorite to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Orb has deserved the hype he has generated, because he has experienced a rather meteoric rise to favorite status, which began with his triumph in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Even McGaughey feels it's surreal how quickly Orb has improved, and how the pace of the race won't hurt his chances too much either way (h/t the Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman:

"

[Orb has] taken us so much farther than I thought he would. He’s done it. I remember going to Florida thinking we’d start him off in an allowance race, but I didn’t think his running style would suit Gulfstream Park.

...If the pace is slow, I think he’ll have to be in position like he was in the Florida Derby. If the pace is fast, we’ll let him run his race.

"

Turning Orb loose has proven to be extremely successful, but the difficult track at Gulfstream Park—the site of his three previous races, per Equibase.com—is ideal preparation for the track in Louisville.

Though he doesn't have an ideal post position at 16th and surrounded by some tough competition, McGaughey isn't worried about how he begins. Barring a disaster, Orb will be a factor down the final stretch.

Verrazano (4-1)

When a trainer makes an athletic analogy involving his horse and Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, the expectations are going to be massive.

That apparently doesn't faze Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who has five horses from his barn set to make a run but is clearly investing the most in Verrazano.

The three-year-old hadn't raced competitively until this year, and will try to be the first horse since 1882 (Apollo) to overcome that perceived adversity. In his young career thus far, it appears that waiting to compete hasn't hindered Verrazano's development.

Only four previous starts precede the Kentucky Derby for Verrazano, but all of them were wins—including at the renowned Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes.

Starting at No. 14 is going to be beneficial in that Verrazano has plenty of room to operate and can get an early leg up on Orb without dealing with too much traffic.

Goldencents (5-1)

Jockey Kevin Krigger will attempt to become the first African American to win the Kentucky Derby since 1902, when Jimmy Winkfield notched the second of his back-to-back victories.

During the NBC Sports telecast of the post position announcement on Wednesday, the 29-year-old revealed a picture of Winkfield in his locker. So it is definitely something Krigger is aware of, and it will be one of the biggest storylines on Saturday. 

Louisville Cardinals head basketball coach Rick Pitino also owns five percent of Goldencents, and won a national semifinal en route to a national championship on the same evening that his horse raced to the winners circle in the Santa Anita Derby. 

That should provide some hometown love for Goldencents, who is a premier-speed horse and has an ideal starting position at No. 8—hence his very favorable odds.

Krigger knew precisely when to let Goldencents loose in Santa Anita, and if he can avoid the cluster out of the starting gates and get Goldencents comfortably in space, the horse should make a strong push on the last straightaway.