Kentucky Derby 2015: Early Odds and Top Sleepers to Watch at Churchill Downs

The weather is warming up, trees are in bloom, and birds are singing. To many, that would signify the beginning of spring; however, to horse racing enthusiasts, it marks the long-awaited commencement of the Kentucky Derby at the storied Churchill Downs.

The first leg of the Triple Crown boasts a very strong field; although, American Pharoah and Dortmund—two Bob Baffert-trained colts—have been garnering the most headlines. Both horses appear to have what it takes to don the coveted garland of roses this year, but the field does feature sleeper contenders capable of stunning the masses.

Before taking an in-depth look at a couple of the Derby's sleepers, let's glance at the early odds provided by Vegas to get a better idea of where horses stand in the eyes of oddsmakers.

Early Kentucky Derby Odds

Keep in mind, these odds will certainly change in the days leading up to the Derby, as post positions, weather conditions and wagering trends will all affect the lines given to each horse in the field.

Horse	Odds	Trainer
American Pharoah	2-1	Bob Baffert
Dortmund	9-2	Bob Baffert
Carpe Diem	7-1	Todd Pletcher
Mubtaahij	12-1	Mike de Kock
Materiality	14-1	Todd Pletcher
Firing Line	16-1	Simon Callaghan
Frosted	16-1	Kiaran McLaughlin
Upstart	20-1	Rick Violette Jr.
International Star	25-1	Mike Maker
El Kabeir	33-1	John Terranova II
Far Right	33-1	Ron Moquett
Itsaknockout	40-1	Todd Pletcher
Bolo	40-1	Carla Gaines
Danzig Moon	40-1	Mark Casse
Tencendur	40-1	George Weaver
Ocho Ocho Ocho	50-1	Jim Cassidy
Mr. Z	50-1	D. Wayne Lukas

Kentucky Derby odds provided by Odds Shark.

Sleepers to Watch

Firing Line

Firing Line isn't getting as much press as he should due to three second-place finishes in his five career starts. However, one thing should be taken into consideration here: Sandwiched between his two victories were two runner-up finishes to Dortmund.

This colt has been phenomenal in his last two races, winning the Sunland Derby in March and finishing second to Dortmund by a head in February's Robert B. Lewis Stakes. In that race, Firing Line went neck-and-neck with Dortmund throughout its entirety, just barely getting edged out at the end.

Take a look at his impressive runner-up finish to a Kentucky Derby favorite:

Dortmund has been praised for being a big horse in this year's field, but Firing Line's trainer, Simon Callaghan, spoke of his horse's impressive size during an interview with Jay Hovdey of DRF.com:

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Dortmund is an exceptionally big horse, but ours is a big horse as well. He stands 16 hands 1, and he's got to be pushing 1,200 pounds. Physically, there's lots of scope, good balance, and he very much enjoys his training.

"

Firing Line is known to have a good demeanor, and that will help the colt on such a big stage where competitors tend to get rattled and struggle out of the gate. If he can put himself into a position to make a run down the final stretch, we could be in for a surprise on May 2.

Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem is another horse to watch in this year's Derby. He has four wins in his five career starts and may have come into Churchill Downs as a favorite if it wasn't for a second-place finish behind Texas Red in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile back in November of 2014.

Still, Carpe Diem rebounded beautifully from that runner-up finish, winning both the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes in March and April, respectively. He defeated several Kentucky Derby contenders along the way, including Danzig Moon, Ocho Ocho Ocho and Mr. Z.

In the Blue Grass Stakes, Carpe Diem remained near the front of the pack, holding a great position to make a late charge. When he was asked to run following the final turn, he displayed a tremendous amount of stamina and finishing speed, moving to the front of the pack and winning by a comfortable three lengths.

Here's a look at the race in its entirety:

Trainer Todd Pletcher remained happy with Carpe Diem's work leading up to the Derby. Here's what he had to say during an interview with Claire Novak of BloodHorse.com:

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I thought he breezed great. There's very little I would change about the work. Sometimes in the dark they'll be a little more settled and last time we were out there around 10:15 a.m. or whatever it was, there was a little bit of a crowd there and he was probably just a little excited about that.

But (today) he was very settled, (in a) very good, progressive breeze. He picked it up each eighth, finished very well, galloped out good, and got it in over a perfect surface, so we're happy with it.

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Carpe Diem has been putting together some impressive showings of late, and his pre-Derby work only adds to the notion this horse could certainly seize the day at Churchill Downs.