Kentucky Derby Field 2020: Entries List, Betting Lines and Picks

Ah, that classic September race, the Kentucky Derby. 

Well, OK, the Derby is being run at an unusual time on the calendar this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Race for the Roses has finally arrived, and below we'll break down all the info you need before the biggest spectacle in horse racing. 

Post Positions and Odds

Preview and Picks

It's never fun to bet on the favorite, but consider this tidbit from Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post: "Mike Battaglia, who has set the morning line for the Kentucky Derby since 1975, gave Tiz the Law 3-5 odds, making him the heaviest morning-line favorite in the Run for the Roses since Easy Goer and Awe Inspiring in 1989."

Or consider that Tiz the Law has won five of his six races, including the Belmont Stakes. Consider that one of his top competitors, Art Collector, dropped out of the race. Or that even though he drew the dreaded No. 17 post—no horse has ever won the Derby from No. 17—he won't actually be in that post, since the Nos. 1 and 20 posts will be vacant due to the 18-horse field. 

Technically, Tiz the Law will be the 17th horse from the inside but will be running out of the 18th post. Chalk up that weirdness to 2020. 

Regardless, trainer Barclay Tagg isn't worried about it.

"I just put those kind of things out of my mind," he said, per the Paulick Report. "There are a lot of horses who didn't win the Derby so frankly I'm not that worried about it."

To this point, Tiz the Law has proved to be a special horse. 

"He never seems to do anything wrong," Tagg said, per Greenberg. "He is not overly nervous, not excitable, doesn't beat himself. He loves to run, loves competition. He sees a horse, he just goes for it. He is a quality horse."

He'll have competitors. Thousand Words is fast. Authentic and Honor A. P. have strong resumes. Dark horses have emerged at Churchill Downs before. But Tiz the Law is good. First-two-legs-of-the-Triple-Crown good. Don't overthink it. 

Here's how the top three will shake out:

Win: Tiz the Law

Place: Thousand Words

Show: Authentic