Kentucky Derby 2015 Contenders' Post Positions, Latest Odds and Predictions

Saturday's Kentucky Derby marks the grandest event in American horse racing, with a packed field of 20 horses ready to compete for $2 million.

This year's lineup includes seven jockeys who know exactly what it's like to win the Run for the Roses. Victor Espinoza captured last year's prize with California Chrome, and he triumphed with War Emblem in 2002. He will enter battle on the back of early favourite American Pharoah.

Here's a rundown of the lineup, as reported by the Kentucky Derby's official website:

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 Soumillion	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

Odds are provided by Odds Shark and correct as of April 30 at 6 a.m. ET.

Predictions

Bob Baffert to Land a Famous One-Two

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Bob Baffert trains two of this year's most fancied horses in American Pharoah and Dortmund. He's also one of the most experienced men in the competition, having won the 1997 and '98 races with Silver Charm and Real Quiet, respectively, before adding a third success in 2002 with War Emblem. Baffert has been there and done that, and he has the accolades to prove it.

With Espinoza riding on the back of American Pharoah, it's perhaps a safe prediction that Baffert will land his fourth victory in the 2015 race. The horse was drawn in the 18th post and will therefore miss the inside rail, which has the capacity to limit runners from the starting block.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Although American Pharoah missed out on the notorious 17th post—a position that has never produced a winner—by just one place, Baffert will be pleased to hear that Espinoza is confident.

"I definitely didn't want to be the one horse, that's for sure," said Espinoza, as reported by Gary Mihoces of USA Today. "I mean, I don't think it matters, but just to be safe. I feel more comfortable to be on the outside.''

Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat appeared relaxed prior to the race, per Scott Utterback of The Courier-Journal:

American Pharoah has won his last three races, but if things go wrong, Baffert has the unbeaten Dortmund stationed in the eighth post. Quite amazingly, he will head into the race with an undefeated record and is sure to gain plenty of interest.

A Baffert one-two should be marked as a real possibility, with neither of the trainer's horses experiencing defeat in recent times.

Historic Post Positions to Prove Significant Once More

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Spare a thought for Mr. Z, who is considered a 50-1 outsider after being placed in the dreaded 17th post, per Odds Shark. This is the only post with a 0 percent win rate, with just 8.6 percent of runners finishing in the money (the last of whom was Forty Niner in 1988), per the race's website. The average finishing position of those starting in 17th is 11th.

Mr. Z hasn't been in spectacular form in the lead-up to the race, finishing third in his last four appearances and second in the previous two, per the Kentucky Derby's website. Although he is the son of 2013 winner Orb, Mr. Z's middling form and post suggest he will finish near the back.

On the opposite end of the scale, Firing Line has been handed the 10th post. A stunning 11.5 percent of winners have started here, with 30.8 percent finishing in the money from the middle. Firing Line won her last outing at the Sunland Derby and finished second in her two prior appearances, as reported by the Kentucky Derby's official site.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Luck has been on Firing Line's side so far, and with triple champion Gary Stevens riding (winner in 1988, 1995 and 1998), she stands an excellent chance of beating the more obvious favourites. 

The upcoming race is sure to be full of surprises, but with a hugely experienced field of seven winners, predicting those who may finish in the money is the way to go. American Pharoah, Dortmund and Firing Line appear top picks considering their form, posts and jockeys.