Kentucky Derby Odds: Justify Pulls Ahead As Saturday’s Betting Favorite

Justify tops the list of leading contenders to win the 144th Kentucky Derby.

Justify is the morning line favorite at 3-1, and the favorite has won the last five Derby races. His four-length win in the mile and a furlong in the $1 million, Grade 1 Arkansas Derby for mega-trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Luis Saez was accomplished mostly on the front end and from the six and seven paths in the home stretch.

At 20-1, Hofburg, who placed second in the Florida Derby, could make some noise, but he only has three starts to his name.

The Eclipse Award two-year-old, Good Magic, is at a 12-1 morning line.

Leading up to the Kentucky Derby, everybody remotely interested in the race is trying to figure out the victor.

After a successful run in the quarterhorse ranks, Baffert switched to thoroughbreds. I think he’s pretty nice.

No horse who went unraced as a 2-year-old has won the Kentucky Derby since one named Apollo – in 1882.

It’s that time again – time for the Kentucky Derby, held annually on the first Saturday of every May.

“I walked in and looked at the board”, Baffert told reporters Tuesday. “I’d rather have the best horse than a horse who’s run 10 times”.

Even if the horses do not win, it will be a special moment for Houghton Hyatt who was born and raised in Louisville. “It’s a challenge just to get (to the Derby)”.

Baffert’s four victories are tied for second-most in Derby history. “The horses are doing well. Whether or not it’s good enough to win the race, whether or not he gets some racing luck, remains to be seen, but I’m very, very confident”, Brown said. This year, Lukas has his 49th career starter in Bravazo, one of the longest shots on the board at +5,000.

Interestingly, past year the organizers of the Kentucky Derby instituted the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” rule, which allowed for horses from that respective country to be able to compete in the race.

One horse who should be looked at with caution is Free Drop Billy, the 2017 Breeders’ Futurity victor.

After his commanding win in the UAE Derby, Mendelssohn is now the joint 4-1 favorite alongside Justify with United Kingdom bookmaker William Hill to win the Kentucky Derby. Mendelssohn will enter the race off a spectacular 18-length win in the UAE Derby in Dubai.

Bolt D’Oro will be second, but don’t be shocked if he knocks off Justify.

Solomini (427) and Instilled Regard (425) lead the field with the highest Tomlinson figures, followed by Bolt d’Oro (423), Vino Rosso (423) and Bravazo (419). Hofburg is trying to give Mott his first Derby victor, and he has had a head-turning week of training that illustrates why a conservative trainer like Mott is taking on the Derby with a horse with so few starts. “We’d really have a 1-2 here”. The horse starting to the left of Justify Saturday from the No. 6 post won the Breeders Cup juvenile in November before taking the Blue Grass Stakes in April.