American Pharoah is the favorite to win the 2015 Kentucky Derby. But “favorite” might be a relative term.
The Bob Baffert-trained horse comes in at 11-4 odds for this year’s Run for the Roses and will start in the No. 18 position Saturday at Churchill Downs. Yet American Pharoah will have plenty of competition, as those closest to the race believe it’s historically loaded.
“It’s as strong as I can remember,” trainer Todd Pletcher told reporters Wednesday, via Yahoo Sports. “I don’t recall a race as deep as this one.”
Pletcher will have four horses in the Derby, including Carpe Diem, who’s another strong candidate with 9-1 odds (per Bovada) from the No. 2 position. Carpe Diem enters Saturday’s race on a two-race winning streak, but he’s certainly not alone, as four other Derby horses have won three or more races in a row: Materiality (three), International Star (three), American Pharoah (four) and Dortmund (six).
The fact that a horse with a six-game winning streak isn’t the favorite — Dortmund has the second-best odds at 13/4 — is a testament to the strength of this year’s field.
“I think this is a hell of a crop,” decorated trainer D. Wayne Lukas told reporters. “Maybe as deep as any I’ve seen. There may be five of these horses, in any given year, you put them in the Derby and they’d be the favorite.”
Of course, only one horse will take home the rose garland on May 2. On paper, American Pharoah has the best chance to do so, but it’s clear that this race is anyone’s to win.
Thumbnail photo via Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports Images
