Kentucky Derby Odds
Kentucky Derby 2022 post standings, odds and analysis
Epicenter, the colt of Steve Asmussen, a closer, might have been the morning line favorite if it weren’t for drawing an internal post, causing him to run out front earlier than usual. Still, he’s a close second option going 7-2 in the morning lineup.
Other contenders sure to see money dumped on them in the betting window will be trained by Louisville native Brad Cox, whose Mandaloun colt was elevated to first place following Medina Spirit’s disqualification in last year’s Race for the Roses. Cox entered Cyberknife (winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby), Tawny Port (winner of the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes) and Zozos (second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby) into this year’s field.
Cyberknife is also one of two colts in the field sired by Gun Runner, who finished third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby and won six Grade 1 stakes races before retiring as a stallion. His other progeny, Taiba (Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner), should also be popular.
Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher also has three colts in the race, Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal, Grade 1 Florida Derby runner-up Charge It, and Pioneer of Medina, who entered the field after of late desertion of Early Voting.
One trainer who will be notably absent is Bob Baffert, winner of six Kentucky Derbys. He is currently serving a 90-day suspension from all Kentucky racing facilities and will sit out the first two legs of this year’s Triple Crown. As a result, Taiba and Messier were switched to trainer Tim Yakteen to be eligible for this race.
Post time: Saturday, 6:57 p.m. ET, NBC.
This son of Uncle Mo has three wins from five starts, including the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, and has a pedigree well suited to the classic distance. Uncle Mo’s progeny have won grade 1 stakes races at 1 1/16 miles or more on gravel, and the bottom half of the Mo Donegal pedigree includes Pulpit, a proven source of endurance.
The only concern is his running style and post position. Mo Donegal prefers to be late for his races and this gate will force the horse to leave early to avoid traffic.
Trainer Doug O’Neill entered the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle with I’ll Have Another (2012) and Nyquist (2016), but Happy Jack probably won’t help him get there a third time. Oxbow’s son, who won the Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Belmont Stakes in 2013, hasn’t won since he broke his maiden at Santa Anita in January. He also hasn’t finished better than third in his other three races against similar competitors.
A narrow loss in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes, his first race as a 3-year-old, was all but forgotten after winning his next two races, the Grade 2 Risen Star wire-to-wire and an off-beat win. in the Louisiana Derby. He is one of only three colts in the field to have earned a Beyer and Brisnet speed figure of 100 or higher.
No. 4 Summer is tomorrow (30-1)
Rider: Mickael Barcelona
Summer Is Tomorrow comes from Dubai after finishing second in the Grade 2 UAE Derby. It’s a tough spot for the Kentucky-bred colt whose only other wins are in maiden and allotment conditions.
He failed to make it as the favorite in his last two races (he finished second in both the grade 2 Risen Star and the grade 2 Blue Grass), but his off-beat style could pay dividends in this year’s Run for the. roses
This son of Empire Maker has never finished worse than second in any of his six races, which include four graded stakes races, and his 103 Beyer speed figure is tied with Taiba for the highest in the field.
Rider: Christophe Lemaire
The Japanese-bred UAE Derby winner faces a tough task this Saturday. Since 2000, 16 UAE Derby winners have raced in the Kentucky Derby with none making the board. Master of Hounds provided the best finish by a UAE Derby student, finishing fifth behind Animal Kingdom in 2011.
Charge It, a son of Tapit, had a big time in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. He hit the starting gate, angled four wide near the fourth post and then slid to the rail twice only to angle the other way both times. Still, he managed to finish second, a testament to him and his jockey.
No. 9 Tiz the Bomb (30-1)
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Tiz the Bomb won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park by 2¼ lengths over stablemate Tawny Port (11th in Derby points), giving him wins on three surfaces, having won twice on grass and once on dirt previously. in his carrer. His trainer, unfortunately, is 0 for 6 in the Kentucky Derby.
A win from behind in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes was his first victory in three attempts since breaking his maiden at Belmont Park in October, but those other losses are nothing to be ashamed of. The Chad Brown colt lost by a nose to Mo Donegal in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes and finished third behind Epicenter and Smile Happy in Risen Star.
No. 11 Medina Pioneer (30-1)
Pletcher’s colt finished fourth in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby to qualify for Saturday’s race, but his only victory against winners is against a collection of low-level option claim horses in January. . He has certainly stepped up since then, but it doesn’t seem to be enough against this field.
This son of Gun Runner is breaking all the rules. After winning his debut by 7½ lengths, he took first place in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in an impressive performance, beating stablemate Messier while earning a triple-digit Beyer speed figure (102). He is now trying to become the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby in the third start of his career without having raced when he was 2 years old.
No. 13 Simplification (20-1)
A victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in March marked his ticket to the Kentucky Derby and he held third in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at that same track in April. He is also trying to become the first Florida-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby since Silver Charm in 1997.
No. 14 Barber Road (30-1)
Barber Road is the most experienced horse in the field with eight starts, but hasn’t won since last November. However, he has finished second four times in his last five starts (and third in the other). Perhaps his experience can make up for the lack of it in their connections. Trainer John Ortiz, jockey Reylu Gutierrez and owner Bill Simon are making their Kentucky Derby debuts.
No. 15 Abarrio Blanco (10-1)
Coach: Saffie Joseph Jr.
The white Abarrio barely has a blemish on his record. The roan colt won his first two starts before ending his two-year campaign at Churchill Downs with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He returned to winning ways as a 3-year-old, winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes and the Grade 1 Florida Derby in his only starts this year.
Cox’s career as a 3-year-old got off to a shaky start with a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. It took a win in the optional claimant ranges to regain his confidence before he stormed the field in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby by 2¾ lengths.
No. 17 Classic Road (30-1)
A disappointing 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby sparked speculation that this Giant’s Causeway son would skip the first stage of the Triple Crown, but a late change of heart by his owners landed him in the starting gate. His breeding suggests the 1¼ mile distance shouldn’t be a problem.
Rider: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Tawny Port won 40 points in the Derby after finishing second in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Stakes and made sure he had enough with a victory in the last-chance Lexington Stakes at Keeneland a few weeks later. Pedigree isn’t an issue, and there’s enough inherited speed and stamina to last the full 10 furlongs, but you have to wonder if he’s good enough to beat this collection of horses.
He ran fifth to Epicenter on his return to dirt in the Risen Star Stakes, where three other horses that finished in front of him also made it to the Derby course, and was second to Tiz the Bomb in Jeff Ruby Steaks.
One of trainer Brad Cox’s three colts in this race, this son of Munnings (who won the Woody Stephens Stakes as a 3-year-old against older horses) didn’t start his racing career until this year, but won his first two races. him before finishing second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.
No. 20 Ethereal Path (30-1)
Ethereal Road started its run at Churchill Downs but broke its maiden at Oaklawn Park after its fourth run. His second-place finish in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn in February has been the highlight of a disappointing run, having finished seventh in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and fourth in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes since that race.