With just three days remaining it is time to get serious and here are the tools you need to be serious. Following you will find the Derby horses in the Run for the Roses, the Post Positions, pretty pictures, and what background I can easily dig up.
It is amazing how few times many of the horses have been run in their two and three year old careers but it is a continuation of a pattern in recent years to only run enough to qualify for the Derby and maybe get a race in at a longer distance.
Pay attention, this stuff is important.
Here's the rundown of the post position and every horse's morning line odds.
Kentucky Derby Horses
PP Horse Opening Odds
1
|
War of Will
|
20-1
|
|
2
|
Tax
|
20-1
|
|
3
|
By My Standards
|
20-1
|
|
4
|
Gray Magician
|
50-1
|
|
5
|
Improbable
|
6-1
|
|
6
|
Vekoma
|
20-1
|
|
7
|
Maximum Security
|
10-1
|
|
8
|
Tacitus
|
10-1
|
|
9
|
Plus Que Parfait
|
30-1
|
|
10
|
Cutting Humor
|
30-1
|
|
11
|
Haikal
|
30-1
|
|
12
|
Omaha Beach
|
4-1
|
|
13
|
Code of Honor
|
15-1
|
|
14
|
Win Win Win
|
15-1
|
|
15
|
Master Fencer (JPN)
|
50-1
|
|
16
|
Game Winner
|
5-1
|
|
17
|
Roadster
|
6-1
|
|
18
|
Long Range Toddy
|
30-1
|
|
19
|
Spinoff
|
30-1
|
|
20
|
Country House
|
30
|
Background
War
of Will
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
War of Will is a son of hot Sire War Front and
out of the Sadler's Wells dam Visions of Clarity (IRE). The family line is very
strong with this bay colt. Starting his racing career at Woodbine in Canada,
the Southern campaigns have proven more fruitful for the Mark Casse trainee.
War of Will won the Lecomte Stakes and Risen
Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, but won a sneaky maiden special weight at
Churchill Downs prior to those efforts. He did finish a competitive 5th in the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, 4th in the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland and
ran second in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine in September.
With a strong turf favorability in his
pedigree, the wins at Fair Grounds leaves no doubt that he can run on dirt as
well.
Tax
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Tax improved from a third-place finish in the
Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, with a first place win in the Withers Stakes. Having
traveled over the Churchill Downs surface to place second and eventually break
his maiden at Keeneland in his second start, the bay gelding by Arch shows
growing potential on the Kentucky Derby Trail. Tax is ridden by jockey Junior
Alvarado and trained by Danny Gargan.
By
My Standards
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
By My Standards has been training up to the
145th Kentucky Derby off a 22-1 upset score in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair
Grounds in late March. The bay colt was making his stakes bow in that
nine-furlong affair after breaking his maiden by 4 1/4 lengths in his fourth
try one race prior. By My Standards is the first Kentucky Derby runner for his
trainer, Bret Calhoun, who saddled the son of two-time Breeders' Cup Mile (G1)
king Goldencents to a runner-up effort at Churchill Downs in his debut last
November. Campaigned by Allied Racing Stable LLC, the Kentucky-bred colt is out
of dual stakes winner A Jealous Woman.
Gray Magician
rACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
DATE
|
||
2nd
|
UAE DERBY
Meydan
Racecourse
|
II
|
About 1
3/16 Miles
|
Mar 30, 2019
|
||
4th
|
Sham Stakes
Santa
Anita Park
|
III
|
1 Mile
|
Jan 5, 2019
|
Improbable
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Improbable is a student of dual Triple Crown
winning trainer Bob Baffert. With some of the same connections as Justify in
owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Starlight Racing. Undefeated in three
starts, with a win in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity, the West Coast based
chestnut colt did win the Street Sense across the Churchill Downs dirty track.
This is a promising sign that he could be a horse for the course when time
comes to potentially enter the starting gates for the Kentucky Derby.
Vekoma
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Vekoma is by Candy Ride (ARG) out of the Las
Flores H. and Humana Distaff winner Monda De Momma by Speightstown. Vekoma is
trained by George Weaver and has a solid record of hitting the board with wins
in his first start, the Nashua S. and most recently the Blue Grass Stakes. His
only non winning placement was a third in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at
Gulfstream Park.
Maximum
Security
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Maximum Security is by lightly raced sire New
Year's Day, who suffered an injury two months after taking the 2013 Breeders'
Cup Juvenile (G1) and was retired to stud. The bay colt wired the Florida Derby
(G1) at Gulfstream Park to earn 100 points and give trainer Jason Servis
another shot at Kentucky Derby (G1) glory following Smarty Jones' 2004 victory.
Maximum Security was making his stakes bow in the Florida Derby and moved his
record to a perfect four-for-four for owners Gary and Mary West. The
Kentucky-bred moved up the ranks from a maiden claimer to Grade 1 fame in very
short time, something his dam, Lil Indy, was never able to accomplish. Lil Indy
was no slouch in the pedigree department, though, being by Anasheed and a
half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire and sire Flat Out.
Tacitus
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Tacitus is a gray homebred of the impressive
Juddmonte Farms and out of 2014 Champion Older Mare Close Hatches. Close
Hatches finished 2nd to Beholder in the 2013 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Tacitus'
pedigree suggests minimal concerns with the ability to hit the Kentucky Derby
distance of 1 1/4 miles and his racing record shows he is on a roll in putting
pieces together. With a win in two Derby prep races, the Wood at Aqueduct and
the Tampa Bay Derby in Florida, he demonstrates a lot of upside to watch for
while breezing at the track.
Plus
Que Parfait
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Trainer Brendan Walsh will be saddling his
first Kentucky Derby runner when sending out Plus Que Parfait on the first
Saturday in May. The chestnut ridgling awarded his conditioner with this
opportunity by earning his first stakes victory in the U.A.E. Derby (G2) at
Medyan in Dubai. Plus Que Parfait picked up 100 points on the Road to the
Kentucky Derby in that Middle Eastern venture and added it to the four points
he garnered last November as a two-year-old when finishing second by a neck in
the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) under the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs.
By Point of Entry, who racked up five Grade 1 victories and nearly $2.5 million
in earnings on the turf, Plus Que Parfait is campaigned by the Dubai-based
Imperial Racing LLC.
Cutting Humor
BREEDER
Dell Hancock
& Bernie Sams
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Dark Bay
BIRTHPLACE
Kentucky
FOAL DATE
Apr 07, 2016
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
|||
1st
|
Sunland Park Derby
Sunland
Park
|
III
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
|||
7th
|
Southwest Stakes
Oaklawn
Park
|
III
|
1 1/16
Miles
|
Haikal
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Shadwell Stable homebred Haikal will be
trainer Kiaran McLaughlin's ninth runner in the Kentucky Derby (G1) when lining
up on the first Saturday in May. The bay colt will also be making his first
start outside of New York's Aqueduct, where he has spent his 5-3-1-1 career
thus far. At the Big A, Haikal broke his maiden by a neck in his second try and
took the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes by that same margin one race later. Following a
length victory in the Gotham Stakes (G3) in early March, the son of Grade 1 scorer
Daaher came running late from well back in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) to be
third on the wire. Haikal is out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Sablah,
making him a half-brother to Grade 1-winning sprinter Takaful.
Omaha
Beach
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
The last major Kentucky Derby prep of the
season was won by Omaha Beach. Worth 100 points for the winner, Omaha Beach
would cross the wire in a muddy affair, worth noting if rain should arrive on
Derby day. The prep leading up to the Arkansas Derby is the Rebel Stakes, which
Omaha Beach also won in Arkansas. The bay son of hot sire War Front is owned by
longtime Thoroughbred racing entity Fox Hill Farms and trained by Richard
Mandella.
Code
of Honor
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
William S. Farish homebred Code of Honor has
ping-ponged between talented and mediocre for trainer Shug McGaughey, who
claimed his first Kentucky Derby win in 2013 with Orb. Code of Honor broke his
maiden at Saratoga and ran second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park
in his two juvenile starts, but was a lackluster fourth in the Mucho Macho Man
Stakes at Gulfstream Park to open his sophomore campaign in January. Remaining
at that South Florida venue, the chestnut son of multiple Group 1 winner Noble
Mission pulled away to a nice win in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before
finishing a well-beaten third in the Florida Derby (G1) last out. Code of Honor
receives distance and turf influence from his sire while his dam, Reunited, was
a Grade 3 winner sprinting on the main track.
Win Win Win
OWNER
Live Oak
Plantation
TRAINER
Michael J.
Trombetta
BREEDER
Live Oak Stud
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Dark Bay
BIRTHPLACE
Florida
FOAL DATE
Mar 20, 2016
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
DATE
|
|||
2nd
|
Toyota Blue Grass
Stakes
Keeneland
|
II
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
Apr 6, 2019
|
|||
3rd
|
Lambholm South Tampa
Bay Derby
Tampa
Bay Downs
|
II
|
1 1/16
Miles
|
Mar 9, 2019
|
|||
Master Fencer (JPN)
OWNER
Katsumi
Yoshizawa
TRAINER
Tsunoda K
BREEDER
Katsumi
Yoshizawa
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Chestnut
BIRTHPLACE
JPN
FOAL DATE
Feb 21, 2016
Japan's
Master Fencer Accepts Invitation to Compete in Kentucky Derby 145.
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
||||
2nd
|
Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
Keeneland
|
II
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
||||
3rd
|
South Tampa Bay Derby
Tampa
Bay Downs
|
II
|
1 1/16 Miles
|
||||
Gamer Winner
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Game Winner is a bay colt by Candy Ride out of
the A.P. Indy mare Indyan Giving. He remains undefeated in three lifetime
starts, as of Oct 1, 2018, which includes stakes wins in the Del Mar Futurity
and the American Pharoah Stakes. Trained by Bob Baffert and currently ridden by
jockey Joel Rosario, the West Coast based Thoroughbred has strong potential
entering the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Roadster
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Speedway Stable LLC's Roadster catapulted into
Kentucky Derby contention with a nice half-length victory over stablemate and
champion Game Winner in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) for trainer Bob Baffert.
Owned by Speedway Stable LLC, the gray son of 2009 Florida Derby (G1) hero
Quality Road enters the Run for the Roses boasting a two-for-two mark on the
year and 4-3-0-1 career line. His only loss to date came as a third behind Game
Winner in last September's Del Mar Futurity (G1), but the Kentucky-bred has
been unbeatable since stretching out past that seven-furlong trip. Roadster is
out of the stakes-winning Ghost Dancing and is a half-brother to Grade
1-scoring and track record-setting gelding Ascend.
Long
Range Toddy
Kentucky Derby Horse Profile
Long Range Toddy is by accomplished dirt
runner Take Charge Indy. Trained by Steve Asmussen, he has settled in a nice
circuit between Remington Park and Oaklawn Park. With wins in the Clever Trevor
and Springboard Mile Stakes, the latter of whic his a Road to the Kentucky
Derby prep-race, he further advanced into the Smarty Jones Stakes and showing
gradual improvement. He may be a rising star among his other barn mates and
worth a watch along the Kentucky Derby trail.
Spin Off
TRAINER
Todd A. Pletcher
BREEDER
Wertheimer et
Frere
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Chestnut
BIRTHPLACE
Kentucky
FOAL DATE
Feb 18, 2016
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
|||||||||
2nd
|
Louisiana Derby
Fair Grounds
|
II
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
|||||||||
| Country House |
Mar 23, 2019
|
TRAINER
William I.
Mott
BREEDER
J. V. Shields
Jr.
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Chestnut
BIRTHPLACE
Kentucky
FOAL DATE
May 08, 2016
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
DATE
|
|||||
3rd
|
Arkansas Derby
Oaklawn
Park
|
I
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
Apr
13, 2019
|
|||||
4th
|
Louisiana Derby Stakes
Fair Grounds
|
II
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
Mar
23, 2019
|
|||||
2nd
|
II
|
1 1/16 Miles
|
|||||||
Alternate
Bodeexpress
OWNER
Top Racing,
LLC, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable
TRAINER
Gustavo
Delgado
BREEDER
Martha Jane
Mulholland
SEX
Colt
COLOR
Bay
BIRTHPLACE
Kentucky
FOAL DATE
Apr 23, 2016
RACE HISTORY
FINISH
|
RACE
|
GRADE
|
DISTANCE
|
DATE
|
||||
2nd
|
Florida
Derby
Gulfstream
Park
|
I
|
1 1/8 Miles
|
|||||
Dirt
|
Mar 30, 2019
|
||||||
