Kentucky Derby Odds 2015: Early Look at Vegas' Lines for Each Horse in Field

This Saturday will see Louisville open its doors to the elite of the horse-racing community for the 141st edition of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

This year, American Pharoah will enter the fray as the heavy favourite to clinch victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown, also referred to as the Run of the Roses.

Although the odds are likely to transform between now and Saturday's extravaganza, we provided a look below at the odds for each horse in the field, leading up to the biggest day in the American horse-racing calendar.

Read on for a glimpse at which horses provide the best betting prospects, courtesy of Odds Shark.

Horse	Trainer	Odds Shark	Watchmaker
American Pharoah	Bob Baffert	5-2	7-2
Dortmund	Bob Baffert	4-1	4-1
Carpe Diem	Todd Pletcher	15-2	10-1
Mubtaahij	Mike de Kock	10-1	12-1
Materiality	Todd Pletcher	12-1	12-1
Firing Line	Simon Callaghan	16-1	15-1
Frosted	Kiaran McLaughlin	16-1	15-1
Upstart	Rick Violette Jr.	20-1	12-1
International Star	Mike Maker	18-1	15-1
El Kabeir	John Terranova II	33-1	30-1
Far Right	Ron Moquett	33-1	30-1
Itsaknockout	Todd Pletcher	40-1	30-1
Bolo	Carla Gaines	40-1	30-1
Danzig Moon	Mark Casse	40-1	30-1
Tencendur	George Weaver	66-1	30-1
Ocho Ocho Ocho	Jim Cassidy	40-1	50-1
Mr Z	D. Wayne Lukas	40-1	50-1

Odds noted are correct as of April 27 but likely will be subject to small changes upon the announcement of the final post positions.

Can Anyone Usurp American Pharoah's Throne?

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert finds himself in a very pleasing position for the 2015 Kentucky Derby, as two of the race's front-runners, American Pharoah and Dortmund, fall under his stable.

With less than a week to go until Saturday's main event, the former has looked good in training, and the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account was sure to cover his track times Sunday:

American Pharoah also is assured to be in good hands this weekend with jockey Victor Espinoza, who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2002 atop War Emblem.

Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone confirmed the hype surrounding this year's standout favourite, with murmurs at the meet insisting American Pharoah can live up to expectations:

Having trained three past winners of this race, Baffert can only hope 2015 brings his fourth success—13 years on from his last triumph at the Kentucky Derby—with all signs pointing in favour of his colt.

According to Camilla Yakteen of HRTV, Baffert said his two headliners are in prime training shape this week:

American Pharoah's most recent outing, a victorious finish at the Grade I Arkansas Derby on April 11, served as good preparation for Saturday, and a winning combination from trainer to jockey to the horse himself is courting massive attention.

Todd Pletcher Hoping Quantity Tops Quality

David Stephenson/Associated Press

As one of the top trainers in the sport, Todd Pletcher clearly brings a dose of quality in each horse accompanying him to the Kentucky Derby, but he also has the advantage of bringing numbers to the competition.

More tickets to the raffle, in theory, means a greater chance of success, and as ESPN's Lane Gold reported, Pletcher has a habit of ensuring the odds run in his favour when it comes to the Kentucky Derby:

As things stand, it looks as though the veteran conditioner will have four entrants in this year's race: Materiality, Itsaknockout, Stanford and Keen Ice.

Per Gregory Hall of Courier-Journal.com, Pletcher could have had another contender in Madefromlucky, but the chestnut colt didn't make the cut following this weekend's training:

Horse racing is simple in essence; there can be many factors and variables coming into the contest, but in the end, the most deserving horse on that respective day will top the pile.

Still, Pletcher's chances certainly aren't damaged by being able to bring with him four entrants, with Materiality in particular one to keep an eye on, sitting seventh in this season's points rankings with 100 to his name.