Kentucky Derby 2015: Contenders, Entries, Odds and Lineup Analysis

The 2015 Kentucky Derby is drawing closer, so it's worth digging into the lineup to see who the top contenders are bound to be among the elite entries to grace Churchill Downs.

As hard as it is just to get into the starting gates in Louisville for the first leg of the Triple Crown, there are two clear-cut favorites. American Pharoah seems to be the horse to beat, while Dortmund is also garnering hype with six wins in as many starts.

Check out the complete list of entries below, along with a closer look at the lineup's marquee competitors thereafter.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Morning-Line Odds
1	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	50-1
2	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	8-1
3	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	12-1
4	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	30-1
5	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	30-1
6	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock	20-1
7	El Kabeir	Calvin Borel	John Terranova II	30-1
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	3-1
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	30-1
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	12-1
11	International Star	Miguel Mena	Mike Maker	20-1
12	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	30-1
13	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	50-1
14	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	15-1
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	5-2
18	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	15-1
19	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	30-1
20	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito	50-1

Lineup Analysis

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

An eight-length rout at the Arkansas Derby cemented American Pharoah's status as a dominant force to be reckoned with. It's not a surprise at all that he opens as the 5-2 favorite in the Run for the Roses.

But American Pharoah does have considerable ground to make up from the 17th post position (a change from initially slotting in at 18 as a result of Stanford's scratch in Gate 11). His speed shouldn't make it too much of a problem for jockey Victor Espinoza to maneuver.

On the other hand, another entry from Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Dortmund, is closer to where all the traffic will be and has the blend of quickness and physicality to emerge more easily from the pack to start.

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde believes Dortmund is in better position to jaunt to the winner's circle in Louisville:

Endurance will always be a question over the course of 10 furlongs at Churchill Downs, because none of these horses have traversed that far in competition before. Dortmund's strength will serve him well on the dirt track, and the top contender may well become the first undefeated winner since his sire, Big Brown.

Todd Pletcher's top entry, Carpe Diem, has an uphill battle to fight after being pinned close to the rail in the no. 2 spot. Traffic figures to be heavy as he and Materiality, another Pletcher horse, battle for positioning out of the starting gates running side by side.

Ocho Ocho Ocho is going to add to the congestion on the inside of the track, while Calvin Borel will be angling to get to the rail as soon as possible in the irons for El Kabeir. It's a scenario that could spell disaster for Pletcher's two best Derby hopes.

Away from that potentially hazardous vortex is international sensation Mubtaahij, the eight-length winner of the UAE Derby. Mubtaahij has all the tools to contend at Churchill Downs—and a nice post position to boot.

Trainer Mike de Kock seems confident in his horse's ability to save his best for last, per The Courier-Journal:

Mubtaahij should be able to stay along with whatever pace Dortmund tries to set, so it comes down to how fast he can close to the finish. Based on his runaway triumph in Dubai, it seems Mubtaahij is up to the task.

This year's field really is loaded, which is why it's even more impressive for American Pharoah and Dortmund to be considered such far-and-away favorites.

A number of dark horses are evidently capable of winning, but one of Baffert's two figures should live up to the hype and may even threaten for the Triple Crown in the coming races.