Twenty-two horses have been entered for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, two more than the maximum field of 20.
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Nyquist left from the same spot when he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile a year ago at Keeneland, part of his 7-0 career record. “With best-in-class towing of 31,210 pounds, best-in-class payload of 7,390 pounds, and best-in-class torque at 900 lb.-ft., plus a wide-range of special features including trailer tow technologies, Ram has the most capable trucks on the market to make the lives of horse people easier and safer for towing their horses”.
Reddam Racing’s champion 2-year-old of 2015, Nyquist, has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 142nd running of the $2,391,600 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum!
Second choice in the first leg of US thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown is Exaggerator, an 8-1 choice starting from the 11th post position, with Creator, Gun Runner and Mohaymen joint third picks at 10-1 in the 20-horse field.
Among those at 12-1 is Bob Baffert, who won the Triple Crown last season with American Pharoah, is seeking to become just the second trainer ever to collect a fifth Derby victory, but he’ll have to do it from a post which has never produced a Derby victor.
The Odds: According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, My Man Sam is now 25/1 to win the Kentucky Derby, giving him the same odds as Shagaf. The Kentucky Derby will then take center stage with post time scheduled for 6:34 PM.
Could Nyquist be this year’s American Pharoah?
“Maybe Nyquist isn’t getting the respect he deserves because all he does is win”, said trainer Todd Pletcher. With that in mind, I’m going to go with Gun Runner (10-1) as my pick to win the Kentucky Derby.
“This might be the first one”, O’Neill said.
Baffert remembered that one of his best horses, Point Given, drew No. 17 and was beaten, with Stevens as the rider. “We got 17. We’re OK”.
“I do think that you get a lot horses that run their race out of the Arkansas Derby in the Kentucky Derby through history”, Asmussen said.
“First of all, it rained”, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. In his last three starts, he has had little trouble defeating Exaggerator, Brody’s Cause, and Mohaymen, three of the most accomplished colts in the bunch.
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O’Neill has the favorite this time in the undefeated Nyquist. He was the favorite in the Santa Anita Derby but came up flat on a sloppy track and did not run his race.
