2013 Kentucky Derby: Horses with Best Possible Shot at Triple Crown

The 2013 Kentucky Derby signals the start of horse racing's Triple Crown, the first of three legs run on the dirt of Churchill Downs at a distance of 1 1/4 miles.

But winning the Triple Crown goes far beyond claiming the roses in Louisville. To win the coveted honor, a horse will need to stay healthy and dominant over the course of a month, following up the Derby with wins at the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

It's been 35 years since Affirmed last won the Triple Crown back in 1978. Overall, only 11 horses have accomplished the remarkable feat. 

Will this be the year we celebrate a 12th?

Here we'll get you set with the latest odds for the field at Saturday's 139th Run for the Roses, taking a closer look at a trio of horses with the best shot to win the Triple Crown in 2013.

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

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

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	OPEN*	---	---	---
2	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	22-1
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	5-1
4	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	31-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	7-1
6	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	13-1
7	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	39-1
8	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	6-1
9	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	14-1
10	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	24-1
11	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	33-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9-1
13	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	39-1
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	9-1
15	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	29-1
16	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	7-1
17	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	30-1
18	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	23-1
19	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	22-1
20	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	36-1

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

Revolutionary

With one of the top jockeys on the planet on board, Revolutionary has a great shot at winning the Triple Crown this spring, assuming he can break through at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

The Grade II Louisiana Derby winner is a closer, and assuming he can continue to come on strong at the end, there's nothing stopping him from having success at the Derby and the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico two weeks from now.

A lot will obviously depend on how quickly Revolutionary is able to get out to the front of the pack and minimize his chances of being buried too far back to close the gap.

But you can't win the Triple Crown without first winning the Kentucky Derby. Revolutionary's performance in Saturday's first leg will tell us a lot about his chances of turning out a winning effort on the dirt in Baltimore later this month.

Orb

Orb's dominance at the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Grade I Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in recent months would suggest that he is a horse capable of winning all three races of this year's Triple Crown.

Of course, Belmont will be a huge test for Orb as it is for so many other horses each year. The 1 1/2-mile distance challenges a horse's stamina in ways the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes cannot.

As far as the Derby is concerned, iconic television interviewer Larry King likes Orb this spring.

"

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"

With three victories thus far in 2013 and five career finishes in the money, Orb is among the smartest bets for the Triple Crown this year. 

Verrazano

Unbeaten in four career races, Verrazano has the resume to back up a Triple Crown candidacy. 

He won the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby and Grade I Wood Memorial Stakes in recent outings and will have a great shot to add the Run for the Roses to that list this weekend as he'll be ridden by 2011 Kentucky Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez.

The biggest question when it comes to Verrazano's Triple Crown bid is whether or not he can maintain a winning pace over the course of 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs, 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico and the dreaded 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park.

It shouldn't take Verrazano long to get to the front. He's shown he's capable of separating from the pack, but can he separate against elite-level horses without using up too much gas?

The answer to that question will determine whether or not Todd Pletcher's horse ends the Triple Crown drought this year.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.