Kentucky Derby 2014 Horses: Full Lineup, Favorites and Sleepers in 140th Race
Audiences across the entire country pause for two minutes every year to watch a group of the world’s best athletes race in one of the most thrilling events in all of sports.
The fact that those athletes are horses does nothing to damper the excitement.
The 140th Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday at Churchill Downs, and there is an absolutely loaded 20-horse field ready to challenge for the title. Here is a look at the entire lineup, as well as their post positions that were announced Wednesday:
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| 1 | Vicar's in Trouble |
| 2 | Harry's Holiday |
| 3 | Uncle Sigh |
| 4 | Danza |
| 5 | California Chrome |
| 6 | Samraat |
| 7 | We Miss Artie |
| 8 | General A Rod |
| 9 | Vinceremos |
| 10 | Wildcat Red |
| 11 | Hoppertunity |
| 12 | Dance With Fate |
| 13 | Chitu |
| 14 | Medal Count |
| 15 | Tapiture |
| 16 | Intense Holiday |
| 17 | Commanding Curve |
| 18 | Candy Boy |
| 19 | Ride On Curlin |
| 20 | Wicked Strong |
Odds for each horse were also announced in the immediate aftermath of the NBC Sports Network broadcast of the posting announcements. Here is what they looked like, as of Wednesday, April 30:
| 1 | Vicar's in Trouble | 30-1 |
| 2 | Harry's Holiday | 50-1 |
| 3 | Uncle Sigh | 30-1 |
| 4 | Danza | 10-1 |
| 5 | California Chrome | 5-2 |
| 6 | Samraat | 15-1 |
| 7 | We Miss Artie | 50-1 |
| 8 | General A Rod | 15-1 |
| 9 | Vinceremos | 30-1 |
| 10 | Wildcat Red | 15-1 |
| 11 | Hoppertunity | 6-1 |
| 12 | Dance With Fate | 20-1 |
| 13 | Chitu | 20-1 |
| 14 | Medal Count | 20-1 |
| 15 | Tapiture | 15-1 |
| 16 | Intense Holiday | 12-1 |
| 17 | Commanding Curve | 50-1 |
| 18 | Candy Boy | 20-1 |
| 19 | Ride On Curlin | 15-1 |
| 20 | Wicked Strong | 8-1 |
Favorite: California Chrome
The two favorites at the Kentucky Derby are California Chrome, who has separated himself from the rest of the field in the odds department.
California Chrome has six wins in 10 career starts under his belt and comes into the Derby with four-straight dominant victories. No horse racked up as many points on the Derby points leaderboard either.
California Chrome drew the No. 5 posting, which has accounted for the most wins at the Kentucky Derby since 1900 (along with No. 1) with 12. Tim Wilkin of the Albany Times Union pointed out that there has been some good vibes from that posting recently:
California Chrome will use that ideal post to establish solid positioning early in the race.
If he can get into the middle of the pack and avoid the rail early, he will use that closing speed to finish ahead of the rest of the field. California Chrome is a dominant horse and the best competitor at Churchill Downs, so as long as he can get into that prime position, he should take home the title.
Sleepers: Wildcat Red and Samraat
Samraat and Wildcat Red may not be considered among the top favorites, but all they know are impressive finishes.
Samraat has five wins on his resume, while Wildcat Red has never finished worse than second place in seven career starts. Samraat won the Grade 3 Withers and Gotham Stakes over Uncle Sigh, and Wildcat Red won both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes.
Samraat has never raced outside of New York, but if you are looking for two horses who have impressive resumes that could surprise Saturday, look no further than these two.
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