Kentucky Derby 2015 Odds: Latest Vegas Betting Lines for Churchill Downs Field

A blanket of 554 roses awaits the winner of the Kentucky Derby this coming weekend, and the 2015 Kentucky Derby odds indicate that this should be a two-horse race that goes down to the wire.

The favorite, as you can see by the odds table below, is American Pharoah. Jockeyed by Victor Espinoza—the same man who led California Chrome to within a mere 1¾ lengths of winning the Triple Crown—American Pharoah appears poised to kick off the first leg of the Triple Crown with a win.

Following closely behind (at least in terms of odds) is Dortmund, who would probably be the favorite in many races from the past decade. But given American Pharoah's incredible physical gifts, Dortmund is believed to be the horse that will finish second.

Of course, it's possible that neither of the two aforementioned horses wins. There are a few dark-horse contenders as well, one of which appears to be a better shot than the others.

You can find out more about the favorite and the top underdog below.

Horse	Odds	Trainer
American Pharoah	5-2	Bob Baffert
Dortmund	4-1	Bob Baffert
Carpe Diem	15-2	Todd Pletcher
Mubtaahij	10-1	Mike de Kock
Materiality	12-1	Todd Pletcher
Firing Line	16-1	Simon Callaghan
Frosted	16-1	Kiaran McLaughlin
International Star	18-1	Mike Maker
Upstart	20-1	Rick Violette Jr.
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
Ocho Ocho Ocho	40-1	Jim Cassidy
Mr. Z	40-1	D. Wayne Lukas
Keen Ice	40-1	Dale Romans
War Story	40-1	Tom Amoss
Tencendur	66-1	George Weaver

Kentucky Derby odds courtesy of Odds Shark on Tuesday, April 28, at 12 a.m. ET.

The Favorite: American Pharoah

If you're looking for one horse to watch during this year's Derby, then keep your gaze on American Pharoah. But make sure you focus—you might lose him if you blink.

American Pharoah has blistering speed and put that on display in the Arkansas Derby. Churchill Downs' oddsmaker Mike Battaglia used that performance as the reason to put American Pharoah ahead of Dortmund as the favorite, as he told Jennie Rees of The Courier-Journal: "If that Arkansas Derby wasn't so impressive, then maybe Dortmund would have jumped in front. But it was just too impressive. It just blew everybody away."

Espinoza and the horse certainly faced inferior competition compared to what they should expect come Derby time, but that doesn't change the fact that the duo executed the game plan to near perfection. Espinoza led Pharoah out to a sprint early before creating enough space to coast to the finish line and still win by an impressive eight lengths.

This speed certainly comes in part from Pharoah's pedigree. He was sired by the 2009 Derby runner-up, Pioneerof the Nile. That horse was sired by Empire Maker. That means that Pharoah is the great-grandson of Unbridled, who was the champion of the 1990 Run for the Roses, according to Alex Risen of WTVQ.com.

Entering the race with 160 season points, Pharoah is by far the top horse in the field. Dortmund is second, sure, but it will take an unfavorable post position for the former to slip up against the latter.

If you're looking for the total package in terms of pedigree, jockey and physical gifts, then roll with the favorite.

The Dark-Horse Contender: Firing Line

Odds are generally a good guide, but they aren't everything. Oddsmakers haven't given Firing Line much credit due to recent results, finishing second in two of the past three races.

And while three races are probably the best place to look when considering a horse's chances, Firing Line's result from February's Robert B. Lewis Stakes is worth noting. He lost by just a head to Dortmund, and given Dortmund's favorable odds, that's definitely an impressive result for Firing Line.

Firing Line's trainer, Simon Callaghan, spoke to Don Agriss of The Sports Network, via the Idaho Statesman, about how he thinks the horse will fare in the Derby: "Obviously, he's run against very good company. Dortmund won the (Santa Anita) Derby extremely well and I think our horse has progressed since then, so I think we're going to Kentucky with a very good shot."

Even though letdowns are fresh on the mind of oddsmakers, they'd be remiss to completely write off Firing Line. He'll be jockeyed by Gary Stevens, a legendary jockey who knows his way around Churchill Downs.

He has three career wins at the Kentucky Derby and has also won five other Triple Crown races during his storied career. An experienced jockey can set even an inferior horse apart from one with better physical gifts, so Stevens' importance to this race cannot be understated.

Look for Firing Line to outperform the projections.

Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.