Kentucky Derby 2015 Predictions: Final Odds, Betting Lines and Pre-Race Picks

As the 141st Kentucky Derby fast approaches, punters across the world are frantically getting their bets in, putting on their lucky socks and crossing fingers.

That much reflects just how big a lottery the heralded "most exciting two minutes in sport" really is, as favourites can amount to nothing and underdogs can reign supreme.

Here’s a look at the final odds from 2015’s eagerly anticipated race, with a look at a few horses that could be worth throwing a dollar or two on before Saturday evening's 6:24 ET post time.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds	Prediction
1	NO HORSE
2	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	25-1	Bottom 4
3	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	8-1	Top 5
4	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	16-1	Top 5
5	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	50-1	11th-15th
6	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	33-1	6th-10th
7	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock	12-1	6th-10th
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	15-4	1st
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	40-1	11th-15th
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	12-1	Top 5
11	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	33-1	6th-10th
12	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	40-1	11th-15th
13	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	16-1	11th-15th
14	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss	50-1	Bottom 4
15	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1	11th-20th
16	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	13-5	Top 5
17	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	25-1	6th-10th
18	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	40-1	Bottom 4
19	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito	50-1	Bottom 4
20	NO HORSE

Danzig Moon, 33-1

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Churchill Downs debutant Danzig Moon touched down in Kentucky as a relative unknown with odds of 50-1 on his head.

However, strong performances in training have seen the horse’s odds cut down to just 33-1, with an each-way bet looking very tempting.

ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards was particularly impressed with Danzig Moon, putting him in the same league as overwhelming favourite American Pharoah:

The Canadian-bred colt will start from the No. 6 post on Saturday after El Kabeir pulled out from 7, and while that’s an undesirable inside post, trainer Mark Casse told thestar.com that it’s perfect for Danzig Moon’s tactical approach:

"

If we had drawn way outside I don’t know if we could overcome that. We need a great, great trip to win and a lot of things to go our way and the first step was drawing the post we did. We’re inside but we’re not too far inside. What I would hope is we could save some ground and let [jockey Julian Leparoux] get him together. With this post position, we can sit in the back of the pack and come from behind.

"

Garry Jones/Associated Press

The likes of Firing Line, Dortmund and American Pharoah will undoubtedly spring out of the traps, but Danzig Moon’s stamina means he can catch them.

His habit of coming on strong in the latter stages of races will be ideal at the Kentucky Derby, as such a frantic start can leave horses fatigued in the final furlongs.

America’s Best Racing’s Joe Kristufek sat down with Bleacher Report and said that long shots have to be horses that have trained well all week—kicking off his list of underdogs with Danzig Moon:

The success that Danzig Moon reaps at the Kentucky Derby will depend on how quickly he gets out of the traps.

Although a quick closer, the colt doesn’t want to give himself too much of a mountain to climb, or he’ll quickly become an also-ran.

Itsaknockout, 33-1

Garry Jones/Associated Press

It’s just written in the stars for Itsaknockout to make his name heard at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

With the fight of the century, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, taking place a matter of hours after the Derby winner is crowned, believers in fate will happily put a few dollars on Itsaknockout.

The horse has been promoting the big fight with a special blanket all week, and he’ll be hoping to upset the odds and land a decisive blow at Churchill Downs. Mayweather himself certainly hopes so, too:

But just how realistic are Itsaknockout’s chances?

Well, he’s been training incredibly well, per Edwards, although he still needs lady luck on his side.

Co-owner Chris Mara reflected on as much, saying that Itsaknockout will have to overcome endless talented horses to stand a chance, but he admitted that it’s not beyond the realms of possibility—per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News:

"

Hopefully we just draw a line through that. The biggest problem this year is this is the best Derby field we've had in a long time. So it's just highly competitive. Let's just hope the horse runs back [like it did] 6-8 weeks ago. We're going to be a longshot, but plenty of longshots have won before.

"

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Mara is absolutely right—plenty of long shots have won the Kentucky Derby before. And the combination of Itsaknockout’s strong form and good post position of 11 could be a formula for success.

And if it is, those who believe in when things are meant to be will be reaping the rewards of generous 33-1 odds.