Kentucky Derby 2015 Odds: Jockeys to Trust, Fastest Horses and More Picks

The 141st Kentucky Derby is shaping up to be one of the best editions we've seen in years, with a number of top contenders ready to take a shot at winning the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Bob Baffert's two prized colts, American Pharoah and Dortmund, are the favourites for this year's race, but the likes of Firing Line and Mubtaahij will be looking to spoil the party for the legendary trainer.

Here is the list of competing horses as well as full racing odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1
2	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	25-1
3	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	17-2
4	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	16-1
5	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	50-1
6	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	33-1
7	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillion	Mike de Kock	12-1
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	15-1
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	40-1
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	16-1
11	International Star (Scratched)	/	/	/
12	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	33-1
13	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	40-1
14	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	16-1
15	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss	50-1
16	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1
17	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	13-5
18	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	22-1
19	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	40-1
20	Frammento	Joe Bravo	Nick Zito	50-1

Jockeys To Trust

Victor Espinoza first rose to prominence when he rode War Emblem to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes back in 2002, and fans will remember him as the jockey who came so close to winning the Triple Crown with California Chrome last year.

The Mexican returns to Churchill Downs with yet another strong contender for the win, as American Pharoah will be a popular pick among punters. He recently explained why he's confident he'll keep his unbeaten streak on top of the colt going:

Espinoza is as experienced a jockey as anyone in this year's race, and he has a history of winning at Churchill Downs. As far as trustworthy jockeys go, he's your man.

Baffert's other star colt, Dortmund, will be ridden by 30-year-old Martin Garcia. The Mexican has already won for Baffert, guiding Lookin At Lucky to a win in the Preakness Stakes in 2010, and has been working with rival American Pharoah going into this year's Derby, as reported by The Associated Press (via the Los Angeles Daily News).

Knowing your opponent as well as that is a massive advantage, and radio host Tyler Ryder likes his chances of coming through in this year's Derby:

Garcia doesn't have Espinoza's resume, but the same goes for most jockeys. There's a reason Baffert trusts him to do well with Dortmund, and punters should take note.

Mubtaahij is one of this year's biggest wild cards, and the same goes for his jockey, Christophe Soumillon. The Belgian was raised to be a top jockey and looked confident guiding Mubtaahij to a dominant win at the UAE Derby, beating up on the rest of the pack.

The horse is trained by legendary trainer Mike de Kock, has shown he can win at distances even greater than the Derby and displays incredible acceleration:

Soumillon's biggest weapon is simply the fact that he doesn't have to worry about disappointing on Saturday. No one knows what to expect of Mubtaahij, whereas Espinoza and Garcia are under tremendous pressure, riding American Pharoah and Dortmund, respectively.

Fastest Horses, Picks

American Pharoah has been very, very fast leading up to the race. As shared by Yahoo's Pat Forde, his times during the past week have been nothing short of amazing:

His performance at the 2015 Arkansas Derby showed exactly how much raw pace and stamina he possesses:

Far Right also ran in that race, giving you some idea of the difference between the favourite and some of the other horses he'll encounter at Churchill Downs.

American Pharoah has hardly ever been tested and sweeps to victory in similar fashion to California Chrome, who came into last year's derby on the back of a dominant showing at the Santa Anita Derby.

Dortmund won that race in 2015, showcasing his speed against a group that included Bolo:

The massive colt went head-to-head with Firing Line at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, winning a very close race. It showed Dortmund can close a race he hasn't dominated against another top contender for this year's Derby.

That said, there's a reason American Pharoah is still undefeated. He's simply the finest three-year-old in the world right now, and he should be able to win this year's Derby. For punters, he remains the safest pick.