Kentucky Derby Picks 2020: Predictions and Odds for All Horses Before 146th Race

The 146th Kentucky Derby will be run under the most unique circumstances in the event's history. 

For the first time in history, the race at Churchill Downs will be conducted in September and as the second leg of the Triple Crown. 

Tiz the Law comes into Saturday's race as the horse to beat after he captured a shortened Belmont Stakes in June. 

The horse trained by Barclay Tagg is also going through an unusual Triple Crown quest, as he competed in an event between the first and second legs since they were so far apart. 

Honor A. P. and Authentic should provide the toughest challenges to Tiz the Law, who will try to extend his run at the Triple Crown into October's Preakness Stakes.

Kentucky Derby Post, Odds

2. Max Player (17-1)

3. Enforceable (23-1)

4. Storm the Court (26-1)

5. Major Fed (34-1)

7. Money Moves (14-1)

8. South Bend (34-1)

9. Mr. Big News (46-1)

10. Thousand Words (10-1)

11. Necker Island (48-1)

12. Sole Volante (31-1)

13. Attachment Rate (49-1)

14. Winning Impression (51-1)

15. Ny Traffic (14-1)

16. Honor A. P. (8-1)

17. Tiz the Law (4-5)

18. Authentic (9-1)

Predictions

1. Tiz the Law

2. Authentic

3. Honor A. P. 

4. Max Player

5. Thousand Words

6. Ny Traffic

7. Sole Volante

8. Storm the Court

9. Money Moves

10. South Bend

11. Enforceable

12. Major Fed

13. Mr. Big News

14. Winning Impression

15. Necker Island

16. Attachment Rate

At minimum, Tiz the Law has to be viewed as a top-three finisher because of how well he has performed over a span of six races. 

The Kentucky Derby favorite has a single loss in that span. He finished third at the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in November. 

Since then, the New York-bred horse reeled off victories at the Holy Bull Stakes, Florida Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. 

He is considered a wide favorite over Honor A. P., Authentic and the rest of the field because he won those races by three lengths or more. 

Tiz the Law also has history on his side, as five of the last six morning-line favorites have captured the Kentucky Derby, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

The rare upset occurred when Country House was awarded the title in 2019 after Maximum Security was disqualified. 

Since 2013, all but one of the Kentucky Derby champions had morning line odds over 10-1, and that was Country House at 30-1.

That is a good sign not only for Tiz the Law, but also for Honor A. P. and Authentic, who will try to keep pace with the favored horse from the start. 

The three horses with the lowest odds start in a row on the outside. We will likely see them run together in some order before the pack comes together in the middle of the race. 

Despite being a bit higher than Honor A. P. on the odds chart, Authentic carries the better pedigree of the two. Authentic has three victories and a second-place finish in four races. Three of those results occurred at Santa Anita Park. 

Max Player, Thousand Words and Sole Volante are among the horses that could disrupt the dominance of the three favorites. 

Max Player finished third in his last two starts in fields that were headlined by Tiz the Law. He placed third at the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. 

With the inside post open because of Finnick the Fierce's scratch, Max Player may take advantage of clean air to his left and hug the inside railing to gain a favorable position. 

Thousand Words is the best horse of the group starting in the middle, which should play to his advantage as he looks to break to the front. 

The Bob Baffert-trained horse is coming off a victory at the Shared Belief Stakes in August and owns three victories, a second-place finish and a fourth-place mark in his career. 

Sole Volante is more of a long shot than Max Player and Thousand Words, but he is one of the three horses with Triple Crown experience from the Belmont. 

Ny Traffic is worth considering in exotic bets since he could ride the slipstream of the three favorites from his outside starting posts. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics and odds obtained from KentuckyDerby.com.