Kentucky Derby 2020 Odds: Predictions Based on Betting Lines for Top Contenders

The 146th Kentucky Derby will finally take place at Churchill Downs on Saturday four months after it was originally scheduled.

The coronavirus pandemic forced officials to postpone the annual May event and in the meantime a strong field of contenders continued to make their case in anticipation of the derby. 

Famed trainer Bob Baffert has two horses entered this year with Authentic and Thousand Words while two previous Derby-winning jockeys in John R. Velazquez and Mike E. Smith return to the field for another shot at glory.

Tiz the Law remains the overwhelming favorite to end up in the Winner's Circle though plenty of challengers could easily steal a win away from the Belmont Stakes-winner. 

Here's a look at the betting favorites heading into the starting gate.

2020 Kentucky Derby Post Positions 

(Morning line odds via Twin Spires)

1. Finnick the Fierce (Scratched)
2. Max Player (30-1)
3. Enforceable (30-1)
4. Storm the Court (50-1)
5. Major Fed (50-1)
6. King Guillermo (Scratched)
7. Money Moves (30-1)
8. South Bend (50-1)
9. Mr. Big News (50-1)
10. Thousand Words (15-1)
11. Necker Island (50-1)
12. Sole Volante (30-1)
13. Attachment Rate (50-1)
14. Winning Impression (50-1)
15. Ny Traffic (20-1)
16. Honor A. P. (5-1)
17. Tiz the Law (3-5)
18. Authentic (8-1)

Predictions

Tiz the Law Takes First

He's the favorite for good reason. 

Trainer Barclay Tagg has given himself the best opportunity to capture a Triple Crown since he led Funny Cide to wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003. Tiz the Law may be the one who makes the dream a reality for the 82-year-old Tagg.

The stallion has won six of his last seven races with the outlier a third-place finish at the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November. Saturday will mark Tiz the Law's first trip back to Churchill Downs since then and he strolls in with wins at Saratoga, Belmont Park and Gulfstream Park under his belt. 

There may be a better horse in the field for the Kentucky Derby, but whoever it is will have to prove it against one of the fiercest competitors to take the track in recent memory.

Ny Traffic To Place

Ny Traffic opened at 20-1 after the post draw and has since moved slightly to 16-1 as of Friday evening. 

If it's possible to undersell a Kentucky Derby contender, bettors may be doing so here. 

Trained by Saffie A. Joseph Jr., Ny Traffic took second in each of its last three races including the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in late May. Before the, he placed third at Risen Star Graded Stakes in New Orleans, Louisiana and first in the Allowance Optional at Gulfstream in Florida. 

He'll have a good staring position on Saturday in the 15th slot and can look to keep pace with Tiz the Law early on before both look to make a move around turn three. 

Ny Traffic may not have the speed to take Tiz the Law down the stretch, but he'll be right there at the finish line shortly after. 

Authentic To Show

Betting on a Bob Baffert horse has become a Kentucky Derby tradition in its own right. 

Betting on a Bob Baffert horse to finish third has a bit of a different feel. 

Authentic is a strong contender who has fared well this season but he doesn't come close to Tiz the Law. For a horse used to running a 1⅛-mile race, hanging in for the 1¼-mile Kentucky Derby may be asking too much. 

Still, it's the derby and it's Baffert. You could bet on plenty worse than one of the sport's most proven combinations.