Kentucky Derby 2019 Horses: Contenders and Race-Day Overview for Entire Field

The 2019 Kentucky Derby on Saturday could be one of the most competitive showdowns in the 145-year history of the race.

As many as five of the 19 horses in the field could be viewed as the favorite to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Add in the potential for adverse track conditions at Churchill Downs because of poor weather, you have a race that could deliver all sorts of excitement.

The only similarity expected between Saturday's race and the 2018 Kentucky Derby is the weather, as there likely will not be a horse as dominant as Justify was 12 months ago.

Kentucky Derby Horses and Odds

Contenders

You could make a case for about half of the 19-horse field to contend Saturday.

In reality, there are five who have separated themselves from the group in the buildup to the Kentucky Derby.

Improbable, Game Winner and Roadster are all trained by Bob Baffert, who won a year ago with Justify.

The legendary trainer is one of the most successful people in horse racing, and there is a good chance one of his three horses lands in the winner's circle.

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Maximum Security and Tacitus are the other two horses with legitimate shots of winning the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Both colts are coming off victories, and they have ideal post positions in the middle of the pack that could help them get off to fast starts.

If a horse outside of the five favorites wins, it will be seen as a surprise given all the hype surrounding the aforementioned quintet.

Race-Day Overview

Just like it was last year, the weather will be a concern on Kentucky Derby day.

According to AccuWeather, rain is expected to fall for the majority of Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The poor weather could produce a sloppy track, which could alter the complexion of the race.

With the conditions expected to be less than ideal, a fast start is imperative for each of the 19 horses in the field.

In order to avoid a mess in the middle of the pack, with mud kicking up everywhere, the favorites are going to have to get to the front at the beginning of the race.

It might take 30 seconds or so for the field to come together, with Game Winner and Roadster starting on the outside.

Game Winner and Roadster should have a fairly clear path to the front, but the same can't be said for the three favorites in the middle post positions.

Improbable, Maximum Security and Tacitus could feature in a chaotic dash out of the gates that none of them could lead.

Cutting Humor could be the wild card, especially when it comes to pace setting, because he has Mike Smith on board as a jockey.

Smith, who won the 2018 Kentucky Derby with Justify, was supposed to ride Omaha Beach before the pre-race favorite was scratched. He was given the opportunity by trainer Todd Pletcher to mount Cutting Humor, and he accepted.

There is a possibility Smith gets out fast with Cutting Humor, just like he did with Justify a year ago, to push the pace and challenge the favored horses.

If that is the case, the race could be even more wide-open than expected because the best horses in the field will be playing catchup behind Cutting Humor.

There is always a chance for a long shot to surprise everyone in the field, but in order to do so, a horse with long odds must push the pace early, but that won't happen.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.