Post Positions and Morning Line Betting Odds for the 147th Kentucky Derby

 The posted gate time for the147th Kentucky Derby has been announced as 6:57 pm EDT.  This morning, post positions for the $3 million guaranteed race were drawn, and morning-line betting odds were announced.  Unless there are scratches, a full field of 20 will start the race on Saturday, 1 May, at Churchill Downs.  All of the 3-year-old colts will carry 1126 pounds in the 10 furlong (1 1/4 miles) race. The early betting favorite, Essential Quality, drew the 14 post and has the lowest morning-line betting odds of 2 to 1.

Hidden Stash, post 13 in the Derby, trained by Victoria Oliver

   Of the 20 entries, all are colts except Brooklyn Strong, the only New York-bred, who is a gelding.  There are two Florida-breds, Medina Spirit and Soup and Sandwich; the other 17 entries were bred in Kentucky.   There are two gray/roan colts (Essential Quality, Soup and Sandwich) in the field, six chestnuts (O Besos, Known Agenda, Like the King, Dynamic One, Hidden Stash, King Fury) and 12 bays.  Two stallions are the sires of 5 entries:  Into Mischief is the sire of Mandaloun, Highly Motivated, and Soup and Sandwich; while Curlin sired Known Agenda and King Fury.

Medina Spirit, a dark bay trained by Bob Baffert, will have John R.

Velazquez as the jockey, breaking from post 8

   Four trainers have multiple entries:  Todd Pletcher has four; Brad Cox has two; Steve Asmussen has two; and Mark Casse has two.  Victoria Oliver is the only female trainer, with Hidden Stash.

Midnight Bourbon will have Mike Smith as his pilot, breaking from 

gate 10, with Steve Asmussen as the trainer

   The list of well-known jockeys is dizzying:  Mike Smith on Midnight Bourbon; John R. Velazquez on Medina Spirit; the Ortiz bothers - Irad on Known Agenda and Jose on Dynamic One; Julian Lepareaux on Helium; Luis Saez on Essential Quality; Joel Rosario on Rock Your World; Javier Castellano on Highly Motivated; and the only black jockey in the Derby, Kendrick Carmouche, on Bourbonic.

O Besos is trained by Gregory Foley, and breaks from post 6

  Below I am listing the post position, entry name, morning line betting odds, sire and dam:

1.    Known Agenda          6 to 1       Curlin        Byrama

2.    Like the King            50 to 1      Palace Malice      Like the Queen

3.    Brooklyn Strong       50 to 1       Wicked Strong      Riviera Chic

4.    Keepmeinmind         50 to 1        Laoban      Inclination

5.    Sainthood                  50 to 1       Mshawish      Lemon Hero

6.    O Besos                    20 to 1       Orb      Snuggs and Kisses

7.    Mandaloun               15 to 1        Into Mischief      Brooch

8.    Medina Spirit           15 to 1         Protonico      Mongolian Changa

9.    Hot Rod Charlie        8 to 1         Oxbow      Indian Miss

10.  Midnight Bourbon    20 to 1        Tiznow      Catch the Moon

11.  Dynamic One            20 to 1        Union Rags      Beat the Drum

12.  Helium                      50 to 1        Ironicus      Thundering Emilia

13.  Hidden Stash            50 to 1         Constitution      Making Mark Money

14.  Essential Quality        2 to 1         Tapit      Delightful Quality

15.  Rock Your World       5 to 1          Candy Ride      Charm the Maker

16.  King Fury                  20 to 1         Curlin      Taris

17.  Highly Motivated      10 to 1         Into Mischief      Strong Incentive

18.  Super Stock               30 to 1         Dialed In      Super Girlie

19.  Soup and Sandwich   30 to 1        Into Mischief      Souper Scoop

20.  Bourbonic                  30 to 1        Bernardini      Dancing Afleet   

Soup and Sandwich is a Florida-bred, breaking from gate 19 for

trainer Mark Casse

The Kentucky Derby, 2020 Edition - In September

As I wrote in June, when the Belmont Stakes were run, the races of this year's Triple Crown will all have asterisks  beside them.  The Belmont Stakes, normally the third race in the series, was run on June 20.  Instead of being it's usual length, 1 1/2 miles, it was 1 1/8 miles, even though it was run at Belmont Park. The whole idea of the Triple Crown, as it came together, was to  showcase a true  champion - a horse that could run in, and win, three grueling races over a short period of five weeks, covering varying distances, in three different states.  They had to be able to perform at peak capacity while traveling and racing at distances they had not yet raced at (when the original proposal was set up and accepted).

  Many breeders and trainers believed that racing a 3-year-old 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May was pushing the limits (and was why Man o'War did not race in the Kentucky Derby).  This was followed by a race just two weeks later in Maryland that was only an 1/8 of a mile shorter than the Derby; and then 3 weeks later, in New York, at a mile and a half.  Most three-year-olds today (in the US) will never race 1 1/2 miles or a greater distance in their entire life.  The few horses that race further are usually turf horses, or steeplechasers and hurdlers.  The Thoroughbreds who race longer distances on flat tracks without fences are few and far between these days.

  Back to the 2020 Kentucky Derby, though.  It will be run, as usual, at Churchill Downs this Saturday, 5 September.  The start time is listed as 7:01 pm EDT, set back due to the expected heat of the month.  The length of the race is the normal 10 furlongs, or 1 1/4 miles; and all the entrants are colts, so each horse will carry 126 pounds.  The purse this year is a guaranteed $3 million.

   There are 18 entries this year; only 4 have morning line betting odds at 15 to 1 or lower, and there are two at 20 to 1 odds.  The rest are listed at 30- or 50 to 1 odds.  Most of the colts were bred in Kentucky (14 of them), with one from Florida (Thousand Words), one from Virginia (Attachment Rate), and two from New York (Ny Traffic, and Tiz The Law).  Three are geldings (Finnick The Fierce, Sole Volante, and Winning Impression) and Honor A.P. is a ridgling.  There are 3 chestnuts, 3 grays or roans, and 12 bays, dark bays, or browns. Three of the colts ran in the Belmont Stakes in June: Tiz The Law won the Belmont; Max Player finished third; and Sole Volante was sixth.  

Tiz The Law won the Travers, after the Belmont

   Tiz The Law will have his usual jockey, Manny Franco, in the irons.  Veteran Mike Smith will be riding Honor A.P.  Trainer Bob Baffert has two runners in the Derby: Thousand Words and Authentic.  And two stallions have two sons each competing: Honor Code has Max Player and Honor A.P.; while Hard Spun has Necker Island and Attachment Rate.

 ** And this year, Churchill Downs will debut a 20-stall starting gate, made specifically for the Kentucky Derby. **

  Following are the entries with post position, entrant's name, morning line betting odds, sire's name, and dam's name:

1   -  Finnick The Fierce      50 - 1    Dialed In    Southern Classic

2   -  Max Player                   30 - 1     Honor Code    Fools in Love

3   -  Enforceable                  30 - 1     Tapit    Justwhistledixie

4   -  Storm The Court         50 - 1     Court Vision    My Tejana Storm

5   -  Major Fed                    50 - 1     Ghostzapper    Bobby's Babe

6   -  King Guillermo           20 - 1     Uncle Mo    Slow Sand

7   -  Money Moves              30 - 1      Candy Ride (ARG)    Citizen Advocate

8   -  South Bend                  50 - 1      Algorithms    Sandra's Rose

9   -  Mr. Big News               50 - 1      Giant's Causeway    Unappeased (IRE)

10 -  Thousand Words        15 - 1      Pioneerof the Nile    Pomeroy's Pistol

11 -  Necker Island              50 - 1      Hard Spun    Jenny's Rocket

12 -  Sole Volante                 30 - 1      Karakontie (JPN)    Light Blow

13 -  Attachment Rate         50 - 1      Hard Spun    Aristra

14 -  Winning Impression   50 - 1      Paynter    Unbridled Sonya

15 -  Ny Traffic                    20 - 1       Cross Traffic    Mamie Reilly

16 -  Honor A.P.                   5 - 1        Honor Code    Hollywood Story

17 -  Tiz The Law                3 - 5         Constitution    Tizfiz

18 -  Authentic                     8 - 1         Into Mischief    Flawless

I hope you will enjoy the race!  As always I don't want any accidents, injuries, or disputed riding.  I hope you can make some money, if you bet!