Kentucky Derby Odds 2015: Latest Triple Crown Odds Before Churchill Downs

With the 2015 Kentucky Derby's post positions cemented, bettors can get to work handicapping the 141st Run for the Roses.

On Wednesday, the starting spots for all 20 horses were revealed. While no position offers an expressway to victory, certain seedings have historically proved less favorable. Lucky for trainer Bob Baffert, neither of his two favorites received a detrimental draw.

After Wednesday's reveal, Dortmund narrowly lessened the gap behind American Pharoah, who remains the top contender in the latest odds, courtesy of Odds Shark as of Friday afternoon.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	25-1
2	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	17-2
3	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	16-1
4	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	50-1
5	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	33-1
6	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock	12-1
7	El Kabeir	Calvin Borel	John Terranova II	33-1
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	15-4
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	40-1
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	16-1
11	Stanford (SCRATCHED)	Florent Geroux	Todd Pletcher
12	International Star	Miguel Mena	Mike Maker	25-1
13	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	33-1
14	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	40-1
15	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	16-1
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	13-5
19	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	22-1
20	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	40-1
21	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito	50-1

While American Pharoah avoided calamity with a No. 18 draw, the spot has yielded only one winner since the system started in 1930. But Baffert took solace in knowing Gato Del Sol won in 1982 from the same entrance.

"As long as there's been a winner (from that gate)," Baffert told USA Today's Gary Mihoces. "I didn't want to carry that with me. But it takes a good horse to win it. I mean the break is going to be so important.''

The Hall of Fame trainer is seeking his first Derby championship since War Emblem led the way in 2002. Thirteen years ago, Victor Espinoza saddled Baffert's champion horse, and he'll look to do the same after guiding California Chrome to a Derby triumph last year.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Although eight winners have hailed from the No. 1 spot, it has yet to blossom a victory since 1986. Espinoza described the undesirable starting spot remaining open to Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden:

Yet the horse matters more than the post position, and American Pharoah enters Churchill Downs with an impressive four-race winning streak. Following a dominant display at the Arkansas Derby, he would have galloped into Louisville as a top contender regardless of the draw.

Dortmund, another favorite trained by Baffert, will open from the No. 8 gate. Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde believes the second choice received a more fortuitous slate:

After all, eight horses have emerged victorious from No. 8, including Barbaro in 2006 and Mine That Bird in 2012. Dortmund, who will have jockey Martin Garcia at the helm, has yet to settle for anything below first in six starts.

The son of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion Big Brown, Dortmund features the pedigree along with noticeable size, which lends to long strides. 

Trainer Todd Pletcher also directs a pair of prestigious colts into the Derby. Carpe Diem and Materiality will run side by side at No. 2 and 3, respectively, both suboptimal starting spots for generating a clean break from the gate.

After Dortmund, Firing Line is the top horse most helped by his post position. Nine winners have surfaced from the No. 10 spot, more than any other gate. Trainer Simon Callaghan approves of the post position, per J.J. Hysell of In The Money Post:

He also has the experience edge with Gary Stevens, the decorated 52-year-old jockey who has been riding for 36 years. A three-time Derby champion and owner of nine Triple Crown triumphs, Stevens will search for his first Churchill Downs victory since 1998.

At 12-1 odds, Firing Lane is the most intriguing choice after Baffert's two powerhouses. In five races, he has either finished first or second every time.