Kentucky Derby 2015 Odds: Updated Lines and Favorites After Post Positions Draw

The 2015 Kentucky Derby post positions were announced during Wednesday's draw, accompanied by morning-line odds. It's now a bit easier to get a handle on how the 141st Run for the Roses might play out.

As was expected, American Pharoah comes in as the prohibitive favorite at 5-2, while Dortmund is the No. 2 horse to beat in oddsmakers' eyes at 3-1. Check out the complete post positions below:

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	Stanford	Florent Geroux	Todd Pletcher	30-1
12	International Star	Miguel Mena	Mike Maker	20-1
13	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	30-1
14	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	50-1
15	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	15-1
16	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss	50-1
17	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1
18	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	5-2
19	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	15-1
20	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	30-1

Hall of Famer trainer Bob Baffert, who hasn’t had a winner at the Kentucky Derby since 2002, trains both of the aforementioned top contenders. That drought in Louisville could well change with American Pharoah and Dortmund coming out of Baffert's barn.      

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde believes American Pharoah did well to secure the 18th post:

Jeannine Edwards of ESPN likes the draw for Dortmund too, but she isn't so sure about Carpe Diem:

These circumstances suggest the field will have an even tougher time to beat out Baffert's prized duo. Art Wilson of the Los Angeles News Group logged what Baffert had to say about the draw:

Carpe Diem is the third favorite on the morning line, but he will have his work cut out to break well from post No. 2. Among the four entries for renowned trainer Todd Pletcher, it seems Carpe Diem is his best shot after the horse rode to victory at the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes.

Keeneland Race Course's Matt May implies that Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez at least gives Carpe Diem a chance to recover from a less-than-ideal post:

Another horse that should get a lot of action among bettors is Mubtaahij. The winner of the UAE Derby in Dubai by eight lengths is a viable long-shot bet at 20-1.

The key to this race will be whether American Pharoah can overcome starting from so far outside and get closer to the rail in swift fashion. Victor Espinoza should know how to handle him, and it helps that Espinoza won aboard last year's Churchill Downs favorite, California Chrome.

Dortmund can't be counted out despite American Pharoah being the perceived favorite. Baffert's No. 2 favorite has won all six of his career starts and has a more favorable post position in starting at the eighth slot.

Career Triple Crown winner Gary Stevens will also be a force to be reckoned with when he's in the irons for Firing Line. The 12-1 morning-line colt won the Sunland Derby and will join Dortmund in dictating the pace for the start of the race.

As physically imposing and strong as Dortmund is, he should be able to hang tough no matter what the pace is. American Pharoah ought to be a little too much for everyone else to handle, though, and there could well be Triple Crown hype surrounding him if he finds the winner's circle in Louisville.    

Note: Race information courtesy of KentuckyDerby.com.