Kentucky Derby Entries 2018: Horse Names, Post Positions, Vegas Odds and More
The first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown takes place Saturday, and there's buzz surrounding the Kentucky Derby that a horse could follow in the footsteps of American Pharoah.
Three years after the Triple Crown drought was broken, Justify is aiming to capture our attention with an incredible run at Churchill Downs.
Justify is one of several horses tipped to have the best chance of winning the Derby, and he is the odds-on favorite.
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With the race won by favorites in each of the last five years, most of the talk leading up to Saturday's race will revolve around the marquee names in the field, but don't be surprised if under-the-radar horses work their way into the conversation.
Post Positions and Odds (via OddsShark)
1. Firenze Fire (+6600)
2. Free Drop Billy (+3300)
3. Promises Fulfilled (+4000)
4. Flameaway (+4000)
5. Audible (+550)
6. Good Magic (+900)
7. Justify (+350)
8. Lone Sailor (+5000)
9. Hofburg (+1600)
10. My Boy Jack (+2200)
11. Bolt d'Oro (+900)
12. Enticed (+2500)
13. Bravazo (+5000)
14. Mendelssohn (+400)
15. Instilled Regard (+5000)
16. Magnum Moon (+700)
17. Solomini (+2000)
18. Vino Rosso (+1400)
19. Noble Indy (+2800)
20. Combatant (+6600)
Can Justify Live Up To The Hype?
Justify's name is the one coming out of the mouth of almost every observer at Churchill Downs this week.
The favorite to win the 144th Kentucky Derby is one of the most heralded horses in recent memory, and there's talk of him blowing away the field.
Justify is one of four undefeated three-year-olds entered in the race, and he could become the seventh straight horse to win the Kentucky Derby with an unblemished record, per ESPN.com's Chris Fallica:
That means Justify has to break the Curse of Apollo as the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby after not racing as a two-year-old since Apollo in 1882.
Justify, who is trained by Bob Baffert, contains all the credentials of a derby-winning horse, a message he sent by winning the Santa Anita Derby in April over Bolt d'Oro as a 4-5 favorite.
There's plenty of experience guiding Justify into Saturday, as jockey Mike Smith is a previous derby winner and trainer Bob Baffert has four victories at Churchill Downs.
Baffert also knows what it's like to bring a horse to the Kentucky Derby with a massive amount of hype, as he trained Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015.
It remains to be seen how Justify deals with the surroundings of the first Triple Crown race of the season, but all signs are pointing to him thriving Saturday.
Can Any Underdogs Make A Charge In The Race?
With most of the talk surrounding the favored horses, it feels like Saturday's race has the perfect formula for an underdog to surprise us all.
If you consider horses like Good Magic, Hofburg and Vino Rosso, who all have decent odds, as underdogs, then there's a decent chance any of those horses could make a run at first place.
Vino Rosso might have the best opportunity of the three, as he is one of four entries trained by Todd Pletcher, who could use the horse starting from post No. 18 as a pacemaker.
If that is the case and Vino Rosso is feeling good Saturday, he could be in the mix near the finish line, as could Noble Indy.
Good Magic has a favorable starting position from post No. 6, and he might be motivated to go out fast with favorites Audible and Justify starting alongside him.
Hofburg is coming off a second-place finish in the Florida Derby, which was won by Audible. If he replicates the same performance, he could turn into one of the top surprises.
If you're looking to take a risky bet on the ultimate underdog, Firenze Fire and Combatant have the longest odds in the field.
Although it seems unlikely either contend for the win, we have seen horses come out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby, including Giacomo in 2005.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from KentuckyDerby.com.
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