Kentucky Derby Picks 2015: Predictions and Odds for All Horses Before 141st Race

Hours from now, 18 horses will finally trot out at the illustrious Churchill Downs for the 141st Kentucky Derby. Nearly one year to the date of California Chrome's triumph, each steed will be looking to match that success by donning the wreath of roses Saturday.

Several late scratches have changed the outlook for the massive race. Stanford was the first to drop, followed by El Kabeir, per the Derby's official account, and International Star on Saturday morning, via Churchill Downs PR.

Despite those changes, there are still several strong horses in the field. Two of those come from trainer Bob Baffert in Dortmund and American Pharoah. Before the race gets started, here's a look at the full odds and predictions for the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

No.	Post	Horse	Jockey	Odds	Prediction
1	2	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	25-1	18th
2	3	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	8-1	4th
3	4	Materiality	Javier Castellano	16-1	9th
4	5	Tencendur	Manny Franco	50-1	16th
5	6	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	33-1	10th
6	7	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	12-1	5th
7		El Kabeir	Calvin Borel	SCR	N/A
8	8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	18-5	2nd
9	9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	40-1	16th
10	10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	12-1	3rd
11		Stanford	Florent Geroux	SCR	N/A
12		International Star	Miguel Mena	SCR	N/A
13	11	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	33-1	8th
14	12	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	40-1	11th
15	13	Frosted	Joel Rosario	16-1	6th
16	14	War Story	Joe Talamo	50-1	12th
17	15	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	50-1	13th
18	16	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	13-5	1st
19	17	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	25-1	7th
20	18	Far Right	Mike Smith	40-1	14th
21	19	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	66-1	17th

Predicted Winner: American Pharoah

Sure, it seems a little played out to pick the favorite, but history is on my side. Over the past two years, the favorite has won both times. California Chrome, of course, was masterful last year before falling just short of a Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes.

But what Baffert is bringing to the track this year is different. Not only does he have one favorite, but Baffert will have the top two horses when the gates drop.

"We just have to contain ourselves," Baffert said, per The Associated Press (via Fox News). "It's exciting coming in here with two good horses."

What sets American Pharoah apart is his speed. In every race this year, he's separated himself from the pack and will be looking to replicate that success on Saturday. Talk-show host Jody McDonald offered his take on how the race will finish:

Though he's not as physically imposing as Dortmund, American Pharoah will earn Victor Espinoza his third Derby win and Baffert his fourth. With a great pedigree and outstanding record, American Pharoah will take the Run for the Roses on Saturday.