Kentucky Derby 2015 Horses: Updated Race-Day Odds and Post Positions Info

Years of preparation and months of hype will all come either full-circle or crashing down in the matter of two minutes Saturday at the 2015 Kentucky Derby. 

Long-time trainers and owners well-versed in the Triple Crown scene have put together one of the most stacked fields in Kentucky Derby history, with five of the favorites combining to go a perfect 13-for-13 thus far in 2015.

But winning most of those races was expected for many of these high-profile thoroughbreds. Doing so again at Churchill Downs is what separates the best from the rest and decides what names will be remembered in the sport for years to come.

History is bound to be made one way or another Saturday afternoon, so let's take a last-minute look at the field.

2015 Kentucky Derby Post Positions and Odds

No.	Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	2	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy	25-1
2	3	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	7-1
3	4	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	14-1
4	5	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver	40-1
5	6	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	28-1
6	7	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock	12-1
7		El Kabeir	Calvin Borel		SCR
8	8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	15-4
9	9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines	40-1
10	10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	12-1
11		Stanford	Florent Geroux		SCR
12		International Star	Miguel Mena		SCR
13	11	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher	33-1
14	12	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	40-1
15	13	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin	14-1
16	14	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss	50-1
17	15	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1
18	16	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	13-5
19	17	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	25-1
20	18	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett	40-1
21	19	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito	66-1

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark

Top Horses in the Field

American Pharoah

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Even if it's a disservice to the plethora of other top-line contenders to crown a sole favorite, it's hard to argue against American Pharoah deserving that nod.

He has the career results, winning four of his five races and both events he's participated in for 2015. He has the top-caliber training, as trainer Bob Baffert looks to win his fourth Kentucky Derby.

And as far as the hype surrounding any favorite, National Thoroughbred Racing spokesman Jim Mulvihill sees more support around American Pharoah than that of the last Triple Crown hopeful, as he told Tim Sullivan of The Courier-Journal.

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"I thought last year California Chrome was as good as it could get for somebody in my position," Mulvihill said. "But the buzz about American Pharoah at this point going into the Derby is beyond what Chrome was last year. There were a lot of California Chrome doubters at this time last year. I think there's more of a consensus on American Pharoah."

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American Pharoah passes the eye test, boasting arguably the best breakaway speed of any horse in the field. The only worry was whether he would get bunched in on the rail, which won't be possible starting near the outside.

One of the early scratches threatened to push American Pharoah to the 17th gate where no horse has ever won, but two more scratches allowed him to slide down even farther and into a more ideal position.

Dortmund

If American Pharoah is the small and speedy favorite, consider Dortmund the larger-than-life second option. And I mean that literally.

While most thoroughbreds max out at around 1,000 pounds, Dortmund has no problem pushing 1,300 pounds on the scale, trainer Baffert told Wall Street Journal's Michael Driscoll. One glance at him and you'll see why, as Fred Cowgill of WKLY captured:

Dortmund is being overlooked by Baffert's other favorite, but it's not for a lack of results on the track. He's won all six of his career races, including three in 2015—most recently the Santa Anita Derby.

Each of the last three Santa Anita Derby winners went on to win a Triple Crown race, with two—California Chrome and I'll Have Another—coming one victory away from the impossible feat. Dortmund will start from the eighth spot and look to continue that trend, and his long strides should keep him from getting bunched up from the No. 8 post.

Itsaknockout

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

A horse called Itsaknockout is in the Kentucky Derby field, which is set to unfold the same day as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao's coveted fight. You just knew this was coming, as SportsCenter showed:

But save for that interesting comparison, there's much more to Itsaknockout than his name.

Also trained by Todd Pletcher, he comes in following a Grade 2 win at Gulfstream Park in February and a fourth-place finish at the Florida Derby. By former Preakness winner Lemon Drop Kid, Itsaknockout has pedigree on his side as well.

While not on the same plane of favorites as American Pharoah, Dortmund, Carpe Diem and Materiality, this horse has the chance to earn a pretty penny for those who go out on a limb.