Kentucky Derby 2019 Odds: Top Picks, Updated Vegas Lines for 145th Race
The buildup to the 2019 Kentucky Derby took an unexpected turn Wednesday.
Early favorite Omaha Beach was scratched from the race Wednesday afternoon, and his absence opens the door for a few contenders to be considered among the favorites going into Saturday's race at Churchill Downs.
Three horses trained by Bob Baffert, who triumphed in the Kentucky Derby with a pair of Triple Crown winners in two of the past four years, will be at the front of the odds chart, as well as a few other in-form horses.
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Updated Kentucky Derby Odds
Top Picks
Game Winner
It's appropriate that a horse named Game Winner is one of the favorites to win the Run for the Roses.
In fact, Game Winner is one of two horses with "win" in his name entered in this year's race. The other is Win Win Win.
Game Winner comes into Churchill Downs off a pair of second-placed finishes in the Rebel Stakes and Santa Anita Derby.
In his final two races of 2018, Game Winner took first in the American Pharoah Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
It also helps Game Winner's case that he is trained by Baffert, who has five Kentucky Derby victories to his name.
Jockey Joel Rosario has also been successful in the major events in horse racing, with victories in the 2013 Kentucky Derby and 2014 Preakness Stakes, as well as a trio of wins at the 2018 Breeders' Cup.
With Omaha Beach out of the race, Game Winner is likely to receive plenty of betting action because of his pedigree and the staff behind him.
Maximum Security
If you are looking for a non-Baffert horse to back, Maximum Security is worth your support.
The Jason Servis-trained colt will not receive as much attention as the trio of Baffert horses, which means he should have good value on the betting lines up until post time.
Maximum Security is coming off a win in March's Florida Derby, but some people will point to the weaker field he faced in that race to argue against his chances of winning at Churchill Downs.
Code of Honor and Bodexpress, who was entered into the Kentucky Derby field as an alternate after the scratch of Omaha Beach, were the only Derby horses racing against Maximum Security at the Florida Derby.
Maximum Security does not have the best support group of the horses in the field, but he is in good form, which is a good sign for the horse and his team going into a wide-open race.
As long as Maximum Security's value remains around 8-1 or 10-1, his winning pedigree means he would be a great bet Saturday.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from KentuckyDerby.com.
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