144TH KENTUCKY DERBY CONTENDERS
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Justify tops the list of leading contenders to win the 144th Kentucky Derby.
Trainers have called this year’s 20-horse field one of the deepest in a while, though the Run For The Roses might come down to five considered to have the best prospects over 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs.
JUSTIFY
One of two Derby charges for trainer Bob Baffert, the
colt enters as the 3-1 race favorite thanks to a 3-0 record and an impressive win in the Santa Anita Derby. Justify’s challenge is putting aside 136 years of history and becoming the first Derby champion since Apollo in 1882 without racing as a 2-year-old. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will try to keep him unbeaten and break the so-called “Apollo Curse.” His No. 7 post position is an encouraging omen.
MENDELSSOHN
The 5-1 second choice has won his last three outings and four overall with a second in seven starts in Dubai, Great Britain and Ireland, where he’s been based. He might need more than international experience to become the first European horse to win the Derby. Strong, outgoing and trained by Aiden O’Brien, Mendelssohn must quickly learn Churchill Downs after hitting the track for the first time Thursday following quarantine since his arrival. He’ll start from the No. 14 post.
MAGNUM MOON
Trainer Todd Pletcher’s hopes of winning consecutive Derbys look good with this unbeaten colt, who has won all four starts beneath Luis Saez by a combined 14 lengths. His most recent outing was a four-length triumph in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on April 14, which was impressive but also narrowed the turnaround window. One of four members of Pletcher’s so-called Derby “Todd Squad,” he has career earnings of $1,177,800. He’ll start from the No. 16 post.
AUDIBLE
The jockey combination of Javier Castellano and John Velazquez has made another Pletcher pupil one of the horses to watch and a tempting betting choice at 8-1. The riders have two wins each over Audible’s last four starts, though Castellano will ride him in the Derby while Velazquez guides Vino Rosso for Pletcher. Audible’s No. 5 post position gives him a good spot to make noise.
BOLT D’ORO
Initially second to McKinzie in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, the Kentucky bred was awarded the victory in his 3-year-old debut after a postrace disqualification. He’s 4-1-1 in six starts, with Corey Nakatani earning three of those wins during his juvenile season. Jockey Victor Espinoza, who rode American Pharoah to the 2015 Triple Crown, will make his first start atop Bolt d’Oro after two outings beneath Javier Castellano. He’ll have to work from the outside in with the No. 11 post.