Kentucky Derby 2015 Horses, Jockeys with Best Odds of Winning at Churchill Downs

With the Kentucky Derby just days away, the field is all but set, and the top contenders are emerging for the 2015 edition of the race. Familiar trainers and jockeys alike are aligned with the top horses, and storylines are already starting to surface. 

Below, we'll take a look at the latest odds for this race and break down the top horses most likely to earn the win this year.

Odds

Horse	Odds	Trainer	Jockey
American Pharoah	9-4	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza
Dortmund	9-2	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia
Carpe Diem	7-1	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez
Mubtaahij	12-1	Mike de Kock	N/A
Materiality	12-1	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano
Frosted	16-1	Kiaran McLaughlin	N/A
Firing Line	18-1	Simon Callaghan	Gary Stevens
International Star	18-1	Mike Maker	Miguel Mena
Upstart	20-1	Rick Violette Jr.	N/A
El Kabeir	33-1	John Terranova II	Calvin Borel
Far Right	33-1	Ron Moquett	Mike Smith
Bolo	40-1	Carla Gaines	Rafael Bejarano
Danzig Moon	40-1	Mark Casse	N/A
Ocho Ocho Ocho	40-1	Jim Cassidy	Elvis Trujillo
Mr. Z	40-1	D. Wayne Lukas	Ramon Vazquez
Keen Ice	40-1	Dale Romans	N/A
Itsaknockout	40-1	Todd Pletcher	N/A
War Story	40-1	Tom Amoss	N/A
Tencendur	66-1	George Weaver	Manny Franco
Stanford	66-1	Todd Pletcher	Florent Geroux

Top Horses

Almost across the board, Bob Baffert's American Pharoah and Dortmund are considered the favorites. American Pharoah won the Arkansas Derby, where the horse cruised to victory, and is the sort of galloping front-runner that can blow the field away. 

Of course, Dortmund is not the sort of horse that gets blown away. The undefeated Dortmund (six wins), who is the son of Big Brown, took home the Santa Anita Derby and is another front-runner capable of leaving the field in the dust. 

And that, perhaps, might be the biggest concern for these two horses—will they cancel each other out? Victor Mather of The New York Times pondered that as well:

"

It can be hard to compare two horses who win separate races with ease. The Beyer Speed Figures for the two races are close: Dortmund ran a 106, American Pharoah a 105.

Normally, when there are two favored front-runners in a race, there would be concern that they would wear each other out and set up the race for a come-from-behind horse. But, like Dortmund, American Pharoah is trained by Baffert, who will no doubt tell his jockeys to avoid that.

"

If they do cancel each other out, however, there are plenty of horses worth considering. Even if American Pharoah feels like one of those special horses, this is a very deep field of contenders. 

Carpe Diem has won four of the five races he's competed in, including two this year (Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes). He's a smooth, affable horse and justifiably one of the favorites. Todd Pletcher's other main contender, Materiality, is a speed demon and the type of front-runner that could really change the strategy for Victor Espinoza on American Pharoah and Martin Garcia on Dortmund. 

Materiality's inexperience will be deemed a downside, as he only has three races under his belt, but he should be a factor in this race one way or another, even if he simply sets the pace early. 

Mubtaahij, a recent winner in Dubai, has recently been getting some love by oddsmakers. Meanwhile, Frosted is coming off a triumph at the Wood Memorial. And International Star is on a three-race winning streak. Also, don't forget about Firing Line and Upstart, each being given favorable odds. 

If the Derby feels like a two-horse race, think again. American Pharoah and Dortmund are the clear favorites, yes, but think of this year's Kentucky Derby like the Western Conference in the NBA postseason. The field is stacked, but a horse with less favorable odds could easily win it this year. 

American Pharoah may be the Golden State Warriors, but that doesn't mean the Derby will just be handed to him.