Kentucky Derby 2015 Post Positions: Final Projections, Odds Payout and Post Info

It's seemingly been a long time coming, but the 2015 Kentucky Derby is finally here. After all the buildup, speculation and wavering odds, Saturday will see a hugely competitive field run at Churchill Downs.

American Pharoah is the favourite, but Dortmund, Mubtaahij, Carpe Diem, Danzig Moon and Frosted are all sure to be in the mix come the final furlong.

American Pharoah will have to buck a historic trend if he is going to triumph. Following the post draw on Wednesday, the withdrawals of El Kabeir and Stanford saw a reshuffle take place.

For the Bob Baffert-trained Pharoah, that means a start from gate No. 17, the only hole that has never produced a Derby winner, per Odds Shark:

However, American Pharoah has the talent to buck the trend and come through as the winner with 2014 winner Victor Espinoza on board.

Here are final projections for where each horse will finish in the 141st Run for the Roses as well as the latest odds and the post positions following the withdrawals:

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds	Predicted Finish
2	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	25-1	10-19
3	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	8-1	6
4	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	16-1	5
5	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	50-1	9
6	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	33-1	4
7	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock	12-1	2
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	18-5	3
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	40-1	10-19
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	12-1	10-19
11	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	33-1	8
12	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	40-1	10-19
13	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	16-1	7
14	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss	50-1	10-19
15	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1	10-19
16	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	13-5	1
17	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	25-1	10-19
18	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	40-1	10-19
19	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito	66-1	10-19

Pharoah's performance at the Arkansas Derby last month was hugely impressive. He thrashed a decent field by eight lengths and looked to have a couple of additional gears to go up into if needed.

He will need to reach top gear to triumph on Saturday, but as racing analyst Joe Kristufek notes, he has looked in irresistible form in training: 

A sure thing is not a possibility in the Derby, though, as the size and strength of the field make unpredictability a facet of every Run for the Roses.

That could play into the hands of relative outsider Danzig Moon, who is worthy of backing, as he has looked in good shape recently.

He finished second to Carpe Diem at the Blue Grass Stakes in his last run, a distinct improvement on his fourth-place showing at the Tampa Bay Derby in March.

As North American Trainer's Frances Karon notes, a decent showing from Danzig Moon would be no surprise:

Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Danzig Moon has a decent starting position from No. 6, with hotly tipped duo Mubtaahij and Dortmund just outside him.

Dortmund is undefeated in six career races, and his win at the Santa Anita Derby in April was particularly impressive. Also trained by Baffert, who arguably has the race's two best prospects, Dortmund will be looking to outrun American Pharoah.

Mubtaahij will be looking to become the first foreign-trained horse to win the Derby, bringing form into the race after an eight-length triumph at the UAE Derby.

Bettors have no guarantees when it comes to which horse to back in the Kentucky Derby, but a handful of runners are being widely tipped for glory.

Whether the likes of American Pharoah live up to the hype remains to be seen, but it is set to be a storming contest in Louisville.