Chasing The Derby: Kentucky Derby field set; Bodemeister the favorite at 4-1

PP	Horse	Jockey		Odds
1	Daddy Long Legs	Colm O'Donoghue	Aidan O'Brien	30-1
2	Optimizer	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	50-1
3	Take Charge Indy	Calvin Borel	Patrick Byrne	15-1
4	Union Rags	Julien Leparoux	Michael Matz	9-2
5	Dullahan	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans	8-1
6	Bodemeister	Mike Smith	Bob Baffert	4-1
7	Rousing Sermon	Jose Lezcano	Jerry Hollendorfer	50-1
8	Creative Cause	Joel Rosario	Mike Harrington	12-1
9	Trinniberg	Willie Martinez	Bisnath Parboo	50-1
10	Daddy Nose Best	Garrett Gomez	Steve Asmussen	15-1
11	Alpha	Rajiv Maragh	Kiaran McLaughlin	15-1
12	Prospective	Luis Contrerars	Mark Casse	30-1
13	Went the Day Well	John Velazquez	Graham Motion	20-1
14	Hansen	Ramon Dominguez	Michael Maker	10-1
15	Gemologist	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	6-1
16	El Padrino	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Plethcer	20-1
17	Done Talking	Sheldon Russell	Hamilton Smith	50-1
18	Sabercat	Corey Nakatani	Steve Asmussen	30-1
19	I'll Have Another	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O'Neill	12-1
20	Liaison	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	50-1

It’s debatable just how much the Kentucky Derby post position draw really means. Most trainers had their preferences as to being on the inside or outside, but the only overall consensus was to just stay away from post #1. That tricky number was awarded to Daddy Long Legs, which immediately resulted in applause from team Hansen. They were then left with the final pill #14. That post appears to be excellent for the Juvenile champion seeing as he will have the other speed horses Trinniberg, Take Charge Indy, and Bodemeister to his inside. Some may have felt Calvin Borel would try to keep Take Charge Indy off of the early lead, but by drawing post #3 the most logical tactic would be to break clean and stay out of trouble by heading towards the front.

Alpha received perhaps the least ideal post for himself in slot #11, where he will be the first to load in the gate simultaneously with Daddy Long Legs. Those two will then have to wait for the other 18 entrants to get situated, and it’s well-known that Alpha has had issues with acting up in the gate. The son of Bernardini needs to prove he has overcome that fear on Saturday.

Bodemeister was given the honor of morning line favorite for the Kentucky Derby at 4-1 odds. Just weeks earlier many believed the favorite could be as high as 7-1 considering all of the equal prospects in the field. He impressed onlookers at Churchill Downs over the weekend when he breezed, as did 9/2 second favorite Union Rags. He will break from post 4, a spot trainer Michael Matz did not seem real excited about considering the inside positioning. The colt did not look comfortable when forced to the inside in the Florida Derby.

The position draw did bring its fair share of notable quotes and occurrences. Dr. Hansen insisted he thought his horse should be the 3-1 favorite despite his 1 for 3 record in wins as a 3-year-old. Bodemeister’s owner Ahmed Zayat made a point to seek out the connections of I’ll Have Another to tell them what a fan he was of the Santa Anita Derby winner. Most trainers of top contenders were satisfied with their position. A full rundown of reactions can be read below in the links section.

Quite a bit of activity during training hours and along the backside Wednesday, but no new major developments or rumors. There were several raised eyebrows from those who heard Creative Cause walked the shed row for the second consecutive day, but that’s apparently the normal routine according to trainer Mike Harrington// Dullahan was full of himself and very eager on the track// Hansen finally arrived to Churchill Downs from nearby Trackside Training Center, so all Derby horses are now on the grounds// D. Wayne Lukas seems to finally admit he may have a second-tier horse in Optimizer. The 4-time Derby winning trainer calls this year’s Derby contingent “a hell of group”// For observations on all contenders on the track Wednesday check out the Mike Welsch video below. He singles out Gemologist, Union Rags, and Trinniberg as looking impressive// more…

Kentucky Derby Contender Page

Includes past performances, pedigree chart, dosage, TrueNicks, Best Beyer/BRIS, and race replays

Kentucky Derby News, Interviews, and Opinion

Bodemeister, Union Rags vie for favoritism (Brisnet)

Andrew Beyer’s Derby preview (Washington Post)

Draw Quotes (Churchill Downs)

Barn Notes 5/2 (Churchill Downs)

Mike Welsch clocker report 5/2 [video] (DRF)

On location [videos] (Bloodhorse)

Gemologist undefeated but under-the-radar (Bloodhorse)

Haskin’s Derby Trail: Summer school (Bloodhorse Blog)

Went the Day Well antsy in gate (DRF)