Kentucky Derby Field 2020: Pinpointing Contenders from All Horses and Jockeys

The 2020 Kentucky Derby field is headlined by Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, who's the overwhelming favorite to capture the second jewel of this year's restructured Triple Crown season.

Honor A. P. and Authentic are the biggest threats to the steal the spotlight Saturday evening at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The rest of the field would be classified as long shots, but the unique nature of the 2020 racing season makes it difficult to count any horse completely out.

Let's check out all of the details for this year's 18-horse Derby. That's followed by a closer look at the top contenders to win the 146th Run for the Roses.

2020 Kentucky Derby Field

Post. Horse (Jockey; Trainer; Odds)

1. Finnick The Fierce (Martin Garcia; Rey Hernandez; 50-1)

2. Max Player (Ricardo Santana Jr.; Steve Asmussen; 30-1)

3. Enforceable (Adam Beschizza; Mark Casse; 30-1)

4. Storm the Court (Flavien Prat; Peter Eurton; 50-1)

5. Major Fed (James Graham; Greg Foley; 50-1)

6. King Guillermo (scratched)

7. Money Moves (Javier Castellano; Todd Pletcher; 30-1)

8. South Bend (Jose Ortiz; William Mott; 50-1)

9. Mr. Big News (Gabriel Saez; Bret Calhoun; 50-1)

10. Thousand Words (Florent Geroux; Bob Baffert; 15-1)

11. Necker Island (Miguel Mana; Chris Hartman; 50-1)

12. Sole Volante (Luca Panici; Patrick Biancone; 30-1)

13. Attachment Rate (Joe Talamo; Dale Romans; 50-1)

14. Winning Impression (Joe Rocco Jr.; Dallas Stewart; 50-1)

15. Ny Traffic (Paco Lopez; Saffie Joseph Jr.; 20-1)

16. Honor A. P. (Mike Smith; John Shirreffs; 5-1)

17. Tiz the Law (Manny Franco; Barclay Tagg; 3-5)

18. Authentic (John Velazquez; Bob Baffert; 8-1)

Official morning-line odds at Churchill Downs

Breaking Down The Top Contenders

Tiz the Law

If Tiz the Law is in peak form Saturday, the question won't be whether he'll win, it will be how much does he win by. He's been downright dominant in 2020, winning all four of his starts by a combined 16½ lengths, including a romp in last month's Travers Stakes in between Triple Crown races.

Drawing an outside post in between his two most dangerous opponents is both a blessing and a curse. It will allow jockey Manny Franco to survey to landscape and know exactly how much early pace he needs, but it also increases the risk of a poor start setting up a terrible position on the track.

That said, he's the best horse in the field by a considerable margin. As long as he avoids those early issues, he should be in prime position to run away from the field during the homestretch just like he did in the Belmont and the Travers, putting him in position to make history in the Preakness Stakes.

Honor A. P.

Honor A. P. has finished no worse than second in five career starts, highlighted by a victory in June's Santa Anita Derby, which saw Authentic finish nearly three lengths behind in second.

That performance, combined with the withdrawal of Art Collector because of a foot injury, makes Honor A. P. the horse with the best chance to pull off the upset Saturday.

He's not on the same level as Tiz the Law, though. It's going to take an off day from the favorite to have a chance, even if Honor A. P., the oddsmakers' second choice, runs the best race of his young career.

Authentic

Authentic has posted four wins in five starts, including a triumph in the Haskell Stakes in July against several horses he'll compete against again in the Derby.

His only loss, the aforementioned defeat to Honor A. P. in the Santa Anita Derby, came after he beat Honor A. P. in the San Felipe Stakes. So Saturday's race also serves as a rubber match between them.

Authentic's showing in the Haskell is probably the best by any horse other than Tiz the Law in the field. He also put together a really good outing in the Sham Stakes in January, albeit against weaker competition.

A lackluster kick in the homestretch of the Santa Anita Derby gives pause, but all signs suggest he'll be in the mix at the final turn.