2015 Kentucky Derby Futures Odds in Advance of Post Position Draw

It’s Kentucky Derby Week at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and this promises to be one of the most exciting Triple Crowns in memory as the field for the Run for the Roses is as deep and talented as we have seen in years.

Doc’s has created an entire resource section of posted articles on our website covering everything from an inside look at most of the top three-year-old thoroughbreds in this year’s field to some general handicapping tips.

The final 20-horse field for Saturday’s race is basically set, and you can find a complete profile for all the contenders at the Kentucky Derby’s official website. Doc's will also be releasing all of our Kentucky Derby selections on Friday, May 1, but in the meantime we wanted to take a closer look at the futures odds for the field heading into the final few days of preparation for the most exciting two minutes in sports.

It’s pretty much agreed among horse racing experts that American Pharoah and Dortmund are going to be the top two favorites to win this year’s race when the post positions are announced and the official morning line is set later this week. Both of these three-year-olds have already recorded extremely impressive victories in some of the biggest-graded prep races leading up to the start of the Triple Crown racing season to clearly separate themselves from the rest of the field.

Interestingly enough, both of these horses are trained by Bob Baffert, who has become a household name in the sport of horse racing over the years. Look for American Pharoah to be ridden by Victor Espinoza as a 9-4 favorite on the current betting board. The jockey for Dortmund is Martin Garcia, and this colt is currently listed as a 9-2 second favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.

The odds drop off a bit from there with Carpe Diem listed as a 7-1 third favorite followed by Mubtaahij at 12-1 betting odds. Carpe Diem is trainer Todd Pletcher’s top contender in this race, and he is expected to be ridden by John Velazquez. Mubtaahij adds an international flare to the competition as an Irish-bred three-year-old with trainer Mike de Kock at the helm.

Going back to Doc’s futures odds list, you also have Materiality at 12-1 odds with both Firing Line and Frosted listed at 16-to-1. Also trained by Pletcher, Materiality moved up the board with an impressive victory in the Grade 1 Florida Derby with Velazquez aboard for the ride, but it looks like jockey Javier Castellano will get the call for Saturday’s race.

Firing Line is trained by Simon Callaghan, and he will be ridden by Eclipse Award-winning jockey Gary Stevens, who has eight Triple Crown victories on his impressive racing resume. Frosted is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, and Joel Rasario was on board for this horse’s victory in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct earlier this month.

One of the top-valued three-year-olds with longer odds is International Star. He is at the top of the list when it comes to Kentucky Derby prep race season points with 171, but he is currently eighth on the futures odds list at 18-1. Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Miguel Mena, his big claim to fame is a victory in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 28.

The betting odds for a few of the other Kentucky Derby contenders to win Saturday’s race start with Upstart at 20-to-1. They drop to 33-to-1 for El Kabeir, Far Right and Itsaknockout, while Bolo and Danzig Moon are now listed as 40-1 long shots.