Kentucky Derby 2018 Horses: Triple Crown Odds, Projected Payouts and More

The Kentucky Derby not only offers the chance for a horse to etch his name into the history books, but as the first jewel of the Triple Crown, the event can pave the way toward sporting immortality.

Winning the Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes is a challenge only a select number of horses have a accomplished, with the most recent the imperious American Pharoah in 2015. Whoever triumphs Saturday will hope to follow in his footsteps.

The favourite for the Run for the Roses as things stand is Justify as he seeks to break the longstanding Apollo Curse. Mendelssohn and Audible are both tipped to run the market leader close, though.

Here are the odds for the race, a look at the prospects of a Triple Crown winner and a preview of the 144th Kentucky showpiece.

Kentucky Derby Odds

Justify +325

Mendelssohn +450

Audible +500

Magnum Moon +700

Good Magic +900

Bolt d’Oro +1100

Vino Rosso +1400

Solomini +1400

Hofburg +1600

Enticed +2500

Noble Indy +2500

My Boy Jack +3300

Free Drop Billy +3300

Bravazo +3300

Promises Fulfilled +4000

Flameaway +5000

Lone Sailor +5000

Instilled Regard +5000

Firenze Fire +6600

Combatant +10000

Numbers courtesy of OddsShark. A winning $1 bet on Justify to win the Derby will return $3.25.

As relayed by OddsChecker, Sky Bet offer odds of +1700 for any horse to win the Triple Crown in 2018.

Race for Triple Crown Begins Saturday

The race's official Twitter account broke down how the horses will line up Saturday:

While the memories of American Pharoah's Triple Crown win in 2015 remain vivid in the minds of many horse racing fanatics, it's worth considering how tough an ask it is to win at Kentucky, then Preakness and finally Belmont.

Not only are these spectacles raced over different lengths, the turnaround between each is short, and heavy legs do begin to take a toll.

Prior to American Pharoah's triumph, Affirmed was the last horse to win all three. That was in 1978. Here's the moment three years ago that 37-year streak was ended:

The trainer of the Triple Crown winner, Bob Baffert, is the man who has been preparing Justify for his tilt in Kentucky. Many of the signs have been positive as of late, with the horse producing a win at the Santa Anita Derby in the build, cementing his position at the top of the market.

If he is to win, the Apollo Curse will need to end—no horse that hasn't raced as a two-year-old has won in Kentucky since Apollo in 1882. Baffert thinks it's going to be broken soon.

"It's going to happen," Baffert said, per the Associated Press (h/t USA Today). "Whether it happens this year or whatever, but it will happen because Bodemeister almost got away with it. But I don't really worry about that."

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Marcus Hersh of Daily Racing Form broke down all the horses that have tried and failed to break the hoodoo:

Some strong rivals, and not a curse, may prove to be the undoing of Justify this weekend, though, as he has a couple of in-form horses coming up against him.

Mendelssohn is one of those, having caught the attention of plenty after a strong performance in the UAE Derby, winning that Grade 2 race by 18 lengths. As noted by Blood Horse's Alicia Wincze-Hughes, he's been chirpy in the build:

If we're talking about trends, one stands out going into Saturday's race—the winner of the Florida Derby for the last two years has gone on to win at Churchill Downs. Audible, who won at Gulfstream Park, is well fancied here too.

If there is to be another Triple Crown winner, you feel as though the victor must come from one of the favourites mentioned. It's tough to see any horse in the field sustaining such standards for the course of three challenging races outside of that trio.