Kentucky Derby 2014: Horses with Best Shot at Making History at Churchill Downs

When a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, his name lives on forever. There are 19 competitors looking to add themselves to history at the 140th annual event.

Although there are some entries coming into the race with better odds than others due to their performances in past events, every horse has the opportunity to finish ahead of the pack. 

Considering recent winners like I'll Have Another, Animal Kingdom and Mine That Bird all won at Churchill Downs after coming in with relatively long odds, you cannot count anyone out.

The only horses without a chance to win are Hoppertunity and Pablo Del Monte, which scratched before the race:

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

However, the remaining competitors are all looking to finish in the winner's circle. Here is a full look at the field along with a prediction for the top challengers.

Note: Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com as of May 2.

California Chrome (11-4)

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Vicar's In Trouble	Rosie Napravnik	Mike Maker	25-1
2	Harry's Holiday	Corey Lanerie	Mike Maker	66-1
3	Uncle Sigh	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Gary Contessa	33-1
4	Danza	Joe Bravo	Todd Pletcher	8-1
5	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	11-4
6	Samraat	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	18-1
7	We Miss Artie	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	40-1
8	General A Rod	Joel Rosario	Mike Maker	18-1
9	Vinceremos	Joe Rococo Jr.	Todd Pletcher	50-1
10	Wildcat Red	Luis Saez	Jose Garoffalo	16-1
11	Hoppertunity	Mike Smith	Bob Baffert	Scratched
12	Dance With Fate	Corey Nakatani	Peter Eurton	22-1
13	Chitu	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	28-1
14	Medal Count	Robby Albarado	Dale Romans	25-1
15	Tapiture	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steve Asmussen	18-1
16	Intense Holiday	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	14-1
17	Commanding Curve	Shaun Bridgmohan	Dallas Stewart	40-1
18	Candy Boy	Gary Stevens	John Sadler	25-1
19	Ride On Curlin	Calvin Borel	Billy Gowan	20-1
20	Wicked Strong	Rajiv Maragh	Jimmy Jerkens	10-1
21	Pablo Del Monte	Jeffrey Sanchez	Wesley Ward	Scratched

There is little question as to who is the favorite coming into the Run for the Roses. California Chrome has been the most impressive horse in the field in recent months, and he is likely to carry that ability into Churchill Downs.

Owner Steve Coburn was so confident about winning the Kentucky Derby he recently said, "I think it is a done deal. I got this solid feeling in my chest, and it wasn't gas," via Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times.

California Chrome won each of his last four starts since Victor Espinoza became his jockey, and in each race the horse was near the front of the pack at the start. He was never outside of the top four in any of the wins.

This ability to get near the front of the pack quickly will be very useful in a loaded field like this. He should be able to replicate this feat from the No. 5 post and avoid most of the trouble.

Unless something goes wrong from the start, California Chrome has all the ability to come through with a win.

Ride on Curlin (20-1)

Although Ride On Curlin only has two career victories in nine starts, he is one of the more consistent horses in the field.

He finished in the top three in all four races in 2014 and replicated this feat eight times in his career. His worst showing came in 2013 when he finished in fourth.

Considering many of these races were graded events, Ride On Curlin has plenty of experience against many of the top horses in the field.

Adding veteran jockey Calvin Borel—who has won the Kentucky Derby three times—and there are few better teams in this race.

The only downside is the starting position on the outside, which could lead to trouble, as noted by Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports:

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Still, there have been plenty of successful riders from the auxiliary gate in recent years, and this could simply be the latest to continue the trend.

Uncle Sigh (33-1)

Among the medium long shots, Uncle Sigh might have the best chance to surprise the field.

The relatively inexperienced horse was forced into tough competitions very early in his career. After two solid runs in 2013, he immediately went to two Grade 3 races and earned second-place finishes. He was then only able to manage fifth in the Wood Memorial.

While this was a disappointing run against many of the same competitors that will be at the Kentucky Derby, the problem is that he started far on the outside and was never able to get inside to the rail.

At Churchill Downs, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have a much easier time coming from the No. 3 post and getting off to a good start.

Besides, Uncle Sigh should have some good karma coming his way with this fact:

Garry Jones/Associated Press

He should be able to help out a lot if he can live up to his potential and finish at the front of the pack.