Kentucky Derby Field 2013: Who Outside of Favorites Will Contend?

The 2013 Kentucky Derby is littered with horses who could win the rose bouquet on Saturday afternoon, and is widely considered one of the most wide-open fields in the 139-year history of the event. 

Favorites are there for the taking in your bets, but don't be surprised if another horse emerges to steal the spotlight on Saturday afternoon. 

The news from the Derby on Friday was swift, and even further clouded an already difficult field to peg. The Derby announced that Black Onyx was a late scratch from the field on Friday morning, and committee members decided that the No. 1 post would be left empty for Saturday's two-minute sprint (via Churchill Downs PR on Twitter):

While Orb, Verrazano and Goldencents are the low-odds favorites in the race, there's a slew of mid-tier and sleeper horses that could emerge from the now 19-horse field and win this first leg of the elusive Triple Crown. 

Leaving out those three favorites, here's a look at a few other horses who will manage to contend on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs. 

2013 Kentucky Derby Field

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

*Odds can be found at DRF.com. Post positions via the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account.

Non-Favorites Who Will Contend

Normandy Invasion

With a name that screams U.S. patriotism, Normandy Invasion is a horse to look out for in the inside gate on Saturday afternoon. 

Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Javier Castellano, Normandy Invasion finished second at the Grade 1 Wood Memorial in early April to Verrazano, and also took home a second-place finish at the Grade 2 Remsen track earlier in the year. 

According to Claire Novak, this is a horse that has true boom-or-bust potential on Saturday:

Observers have been split on the way Normandy Invasion has been training at the track this week, but his pedigree and second-place finish at the Wood Memorial have shown us enough to prove that he should be in consideration for the title. 

His odds agree, and with Black Onyx out, Normandy Invasion will have a greater chance to get to the inside rail from the No. 5 post position. 

Itsmyluckyday

A horse with Seattle Slew in his lineage, Itsmyluckyday has come on strong over the past few weeks and is operating from the middle of the gate when the gun starts the field on Saturday. 

Winner of the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and Gulfstream Park Derby, Itsmyluckyday has an extensive list of accomplishments on the track that includes only finishing lower than fourth in a race once (sixth at the Delta Downs Jackpot) and a second-place finish to Orb at the Florida Derby. 

In a good spot to survey the field on Saturday, this horse can allow the inside horses to set the pace while deciding when to make a move alongside favorites Orb and Verrazano (14 and 16 posts). 

Don't be surprised if Elvis Trujillo has a big day on Saturday riding this horse. It's one that could very well be in the mix as the horses come down the back stretch at the track. 

Revolutionary

If Revolutionary's odds didn't increase because of the drop out of Black Onyx just two posts away, they should because of the jockey riding on his back.

That would be the legendary Calvin Borel, winner of three previous Kentucky Derbys and looking to claim his fourth when things kick off on Saturday afternoon. 

As Andrew Beyer of The Washington Post puts it, Borel has "Derby magic."

From his piece on Friday (via The Trentonian):

"

Revolutionary will get special attention in the Kentucky Derby because of the man on his back. Calvin Borel, who was voted into the Racing Hall of Fame last week, is one of only nine riders ever to win three or more Derbies — a list headed by legends Eddie Arcaro (five wins), Bill Hartack (five) and Bill Shoemaker (four).

Borel’s skills have always been highly regarded by racing insiders, who respect his fearlessness, his aggressive handling of front-runners and his determination to ride near the rail, which earned him the nickname “Bo-Rail.”

"

If you factor in that Borel is again on the inside at the Derby (his favorite place to be) and that Revolutionary is coming off two straight wins in high-grade races—most notably in the Louisiana Derby in late March—this horse's chances of winning increase.

With Borel in the saddle and this horse exactly where Todd Pletcher wanted it to be after the draw, things are shaping up for Revolutionary to crash the favorites party and live up to his name in the process. 

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