Kentucky Derby 2018 Odds: Post Positions Info and Vegas Lines for All Horses
The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, and with it come the hopes and dreams people who have their sights set on the so-called "Run for the Roses" and the Triple Crown.
The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby, followed by the Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes. The three thoroughbred races make up one of the toughest gauntlets in all of sports. The last horse to win all three was American Pharoah in 2015. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Affirmed in 1978.
To say the world pins high hopes on the Kentucky Derby winner is an understatement. No matter what, even if the winning horse is a long-shot upset, they carry the hopes of millions into the next leg of the event. Like any race, the Kentucky Derby has its favorites, but anything can happen once the race begins.
Here are where the horses are lining up for the Kentucky Derby and their odds to win as of Saturday morning.
Post Position and Odds (via OddsShark)
1. Firenze Fire (+6600)
2. Free Drop Billy (+4500)
3. Promises Fulfilled (+6000)
4. Flameaway (+5000)
5. Audible (+700)
6. Good Magic (+1000)
7. Justify (+350)
8. Lone Sailor (+5000)
9. Hofburg (+1800)
10. My Boy Jack (+1200)
11. Bolt d'Oro (+700)
12. Enticed (+3000)
13. Bravazo (+7500)
14. Mendelssohn (+350)
15. Instilled Regard (+6600)
16. Magnum Moon (+750)
17. Solomini (+2500)
18. Vino Rosso (+1600)
19. Noble Indy (+4000)
20. Combatant (+8500)
The two main horses to watch at the Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Kentucky, will be Justify and Mendelssohn.
Justify has three wins to his name in three career starts, the latest a victory at the Santa Anita Derby. He beat out Bolt d'Oro, who is viewed as a Derby contender by oddsmakers. Justify is trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, who trained American Pharoah in 2015 and has seen three other horses win the Kentucky Derby.
Justify is a strong, promising horse, but he is fairly young. As ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell notes, Justify is one of two horses trying to break the "Curse of the Apollo" and win the Derby without a start as a two-year-old:
"Morning-line favorite Justify and Magnum Moon will both try to reverse the curse. The massive colt Justify, who was given time off as a 2-year-old to grow into his body, has made three lifetime starts—the same as Curlin and 2008 Derby winner Big Brown. Magnum Moon, who didn't race at 2 because of ankle issues, is 4-for-4, including wins in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby."
Justify may be young, but he will be fresher than some of the other horses that take to their posts Saturday afternoon at 6:46 p.m. ET. However, he lacks experience running through a tough, crowded field.
Mendelssohn appears to have pulled level with Justify in the Derby day odds. He has four first-place finishes and one second-place finish in seven career starts. The record isn't quite bulletproof, but the races won include the UAE Derby on March 31.
The three-year-old colt has more than just a difficult field ahead; there is also the crushing weight of history. Mendelssohn can become the first European-trained horse to win the Kentucky Derby in its 144 years of running. If Mendelssohn does pull off the win, Baffert probably won't be surprised. He has high praise for the horse's trainer, Aidan O'Brien.
"The one thing about Aidan O'Brien, he's like the best trainer in the world," Baffert said, per USA Today's Dan Wolke. "They ship everywhere. They know what to do. They know how to win. It's a lot, but you know what? They know their horses, and their horses always look good. When they ship, they win."
Other horses to watch include Magnum Moon, Bolt d'Oro and Audible. Like Justify, Magnum Moon is perfect in his career, with four wins in four starts, including the Arkansas Derby. Bolt d'Oro couldn't keep up with Justify at Santa Anita, but the colt has four wins in total. Audible has won his last four races after finishing third in his first competition.
Whichever horse comes out on top will take home a $1.24 million purse for its backers, per CNBC.com's Kathleen Elkins.
Beyond that, it will immediately put the pressure on the horse, its owners and its trainers heading into the Preakness Stakes and another potential run at history.
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