Kentucky Derby 2014: Analyzing Field of Contenders and Favorites to Win

As the 2014 Kentucky Derby approaches, our intrigue in the potential field intensifies, and our thirst for mint juleps increase.

One of these cravings can be settled rather quickly with some bourbon whiskey, some mint leaves and granulated sugar; however, we will have to wait until the official draw on April 30 to know exactly which horses will be competing.

Until then, it's never too early to gather information, look at potential candidates and decipher the favorites for this year's spectacle.

KentuckyDerby.com catalogs the field of contenders based on season rankings. Plenty of the Derby's participants will most certainly come from this list:

Contender	Season Ranking	Season Points
California Chrome	1	150
Vicar's In Trouble	2	120
Dance With Fate	3	108
Wicked Strong	4	102
Samraat	5	100
Danza	6	100
Hoppertunity	7	95
Intense Holiday	8	93
Wildcat Red	9	90
We Miss Artie	10	60
Ride On Curlin	11	55
Chitu	12	54
Tapiture	13	52
Ring Weekend	14	50
General A Rod	15	40
Medal Count	16	40
Candy Boy	17	30
Uncle Sigh	18	24
Vinceremos	19	20
Harry's Holiday	20	20
Commanding Curve	21	20
Pablo Del Monte	22	20
Bayern	23	20
Social Inclusion	24	20
Big Bazinga	25	14
Strong Mandate	26	11

Despite these standings, odds for the Derby bring plenty of other factors into play. Oddsmakers have already been hard at work figuring out which contenders have the best shots to don roses on May 3. Here's how OddsShark.com sees it:

Contender	Odds
California Chrome	7-4
Danza	8-1
Wicked Strong	8-1
Vicars In Trouble	10-1
Hoppertunity	14-1
Dance With Fate	16-1
Wildcat Red	16-1
Intense Holiday	20-1
Samraat	20-1
Social Inclusion	20-1
Tapiture	20-1
Bayern	25-1
Candy Boy	25-1
Chitu	25-1
General A Rod	25-1
Ride On Curlin	25-1
Ring Weekend	25-1
Medal Count	33-1
Mexikoma	33-1
Strong Mandate	33-1
We Miss Artie	33-1
Uncle Sigh	40-1
Noble Moon	50-1
Tap It Rich	50-1

The barns are already filling out at Churchill Downs, according to Jonathan Lintner of The Courier-Journal, who tweeted out a list of who's in attendance:

The last line of Lintner's tweet relates to what everyone is waiting for: the arrival of California Chrome.

California Chrome is widely heralded as the horse to beat this year—with good reason.

According to Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times, this horse has been nothing short of miraculous recently:

"

He [California Chrome] will be the favorite in Saturday's Kentucky Derby in Louisville.

That is because he has won his last four races by a total of 24 1/4 lengths. He won the April 5 Santa Anita Derby like somebody rolling out of bed and warming up with a yawn and a quick stretch. Other jockeys urge and whip their horses down the homestretch. California Chrome's Victor Espinoza ends races half-standing in the saddle, looking lonely.

"

So, why is this horse so dominant? When Dwyre asked trainer Art Sherman about California Chrome, he was given a succinct, decisive answer:

"This horse is one of those who has a deep, deep desire to run."

Don't believe the hype? Just watch exactly why Dwyre wrote what he did about California Chrome's Santa Anita Derby performance:

Astonishing.

California Chrome may be the favorite; however, there are plenty of horses with legitimate shots at a coveted victory.

Wicked Strong, Danza and Vicar's In Trouble have all shined at times this season, each posting a victory. Hoppertunity figures to have a strong showing as well; however, the horse hasn't been able to keep up with the blazing pace set by California Chrome just yet. Candy Boy, Bayern and Chitu could be in the mix on May 3, too.

Even with these contenders in mind, it appears as though California Chrome's separation from the field in previous races has separated this spectacular horse from the rest of the Kentucky Derby's field as well.