Kentucky Derby 2013 Favorites: Showcasing the Top Contenders

Following a late scratch on Friday, a field of 19 horses will vie for the Triple Crown's first leg at the 2013 Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs on Saturday, but there are only a handful of Thoroughbreds poised to contend for the roses.

Vegas has made Orb and Verrazano the two betting favorites at 4-1, but Rick Pitino's Goldencents is close behind at 11-2, according to OddsShark.com. In recent years, however, the long shots have fared better in the Kentucky Derby. 

Will this be the year a favorite breaks through?

With post time just hours away, let's take a closer look at the top contenders in Saturday's 139th Run for the Roses.

2013 Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky. | Purse: $2.18 Million | Grade I | Distance: 10 furlongs | Post Time: 6:24 p.m. ET

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

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	OPEN*	---	---	---
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

*Black Onyx has been scratched from post No. 1, according to Churchill Downs PR on Twitter.

Orb, Post No. 16, 4-1 Odds

Betting favorite Orb has a lot of good things going for him this weekend at Churchill Downs. 

Led by talented jockey Joel Rosario, this is a colt who's won his last four races coming in and drew post No. 16 in Saturday's race. The Grade I Florida Derby winner will look to become the fifth horse to claim the roses from post No. 16 since 1995.

Orb turned heads at the Florida Derby last March and before that, he shined in the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

With three wins in three starts in 2013, it's no wonder why so many people are on Orb's bandwagon this spring. The list includes the iconic Larry King.

"

I like two horses in the Kentucky Derby - Orb & Goldencents - if you want a long shot give a look at Oxbow

— Larry King(@kingsthings) May 3, 2013"

Verrazano, Post No. 14, 4-1 Odds

One of five Todd Pletcher-trained horses running in this weekend's Kentucky Derby, Verrazano is a heavy favorite considering he's won all four his career starts.

He won the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby and Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes in his two most recent outings and looked strong in the process.

If there's some concern about Verrazano on Saturday it will be his starting post.

He'll start from post No. 14, which has been an unfavorable slot in recent years. A horse hasn't won the Derby from post No. 14 in over 50 years and there have been only two Derby winners from that post in the history of the event.

But don't be too discouraged by Verrazano's starting post. He'll be ridden by jockey John Velazquez, who rode Animal Kingdom to victory from post No. 16 at Churchill Downs two years ago.

Goldencents, Post No. 8, 11-2 Odds

After picking up an impressive victory at the Grade I Santa Anita Derby last month, Goldencents enters the biggest horse racing event of the year as one of the top contenders.

While Doug O'Neill's colt has momentum on his side, there should still be some doubts about whether Goldencents will be there in the end. At the Grade II San Felipe Stakes last March, Goldencents finished fourth despite leading for most of the race.

The 1 1/4-mile dirt track at Churchill Downs is the second-longest distance of the three Triple Crown races and is capable of sinking horses who don't possess the stamina required.

Still, starting from post No. 8, Goldencents will have a great shot to not only finish in the money but win it all. Post No. 8 is one of the most favorable historically, and it's produced recent Derby champions Mine That Bird (2009) and Barbaro (2006).

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.