Horses who ran this year at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs hold two of the four shortest morning line prices for Saturday’s 140th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
140th Kentucky Derby
WHERE Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
WHEN 5 p.m. Central on Saturday
TV NBC
WEIGHTS 126 pounds
DISTANCE 1¼ miles
PURSE $2,202,800 if 20 start. First place: $1,442,800. Second place: $400,000. Third place: $200,000. Fourth place: $100,000. Fifth place: $60,000.
POST POSITIONS Field for Saturday’s 140th Kentucky Derby, with post position, horse’s name, jockey’s name and odds. Horses that raced at Oaklawn Park in bold.
PP HORSE JOCKEY ODDS
Vicar’s in Trouble Napravnik 30-1
Harry’s Holiday Lanerie 50-1
Uncle Sigh Ortiz Jr. 30-1
Danza Bravo 10-1
California Chrome Espinoza 5-2
Samraat Ortiz 15-1
We Miss Artie Castellano 50-1
General a Rod Rosario 15-1
Vinceremos Rococo Jr. 30-1
Wildcat Red Saez 15-1
Hoppertunity Smith 6-1
Dance With Fate Nakatani 20-1
Chitu Garcia 20-1
Medal Count Albarado 20-1
Tapiture Santana Jr. 15-1
Intense Holiday Velazquez 12-1
Commanding Curve Bridgmohan 50-1
Candy Boy Stevens 20-1
Ride On Curlin Borel 15-1
Wicked Strong Maragh 8-1
Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia made California Chrome the heavy 5-2 favorite, while Hoppertunity, winner of the $600,000 Grade II Rebel Stakes on March 15 at Oaklawn, is the early 6-1 second choice.
Danza, winner of the $1 million Grade I Arkansas Derby on April 12 at Oaklawn, is the 10-1 fourth choice.
Battaglia released his morning line odds - how he perceives the public will bet the race - shortly after Wednesday afternoon’s post position draw in the Secretariat Lounge at Churchill Downs.
Probable post time for the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of racing’s Triple Crown, is 5:32 p.m. Central. The race will be televised live by NBC (3 p.m.-6 p.m.).
Two other Oaklawn-raced horses were among 21 3-yearolds entered Wednesday. Arkansas Derby runner-up Ride On Curlin and Tapiture, winner of the $300,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes on Feb. 17, are both 15-1 on the morning line.
California Chrome is the shortest Kentucky Derby morning line favorite since Bellamy Road (5-2) in 2005. California Chrome has scored four consecutive lopsided victories, including a 5 1/4-length score over Hoppertunity in the $1 million Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 5 at Santa Anita near Los Angeles.
California Chrome, who will be making his first start outside California, drew post 5 for Saturday’s 1 1/4-mile race. Hoppertunity is scheduled to break from post 11 under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
“The only disadvantage is that Hoppertunity is going to have to wait in the gate for a long time, but I’d rather wait in the 11 hole than wait in the 1 hole,” said Bob Baffert, Hoppertunity’s Hall of Fame trainer. “I think he’s second choice because he’s gotten the closest to California Chrome this year.”
Danza, Tapiture and Ride On Curlin are scheduled to break from posts 4, 15 and 19, respectively.
Danza, in his first start around two turns, was a powerful 4 3/4-length winner of the Arkansas Derby at odds of 41-1. Danza’s trainer, Todd Pletcher, won his only Kentucky Derby in 2010 with Super Saver, who broke from post 4.
“Good spot for him,” Pletcher said of Danza. “He won the Arkansas Derby out of the No. 1 hole. He’s fine with being on the inside.”
Battaglia originally intended to make Wicked Strong the 6-1 second choice but raised his odds to 8-1 after he drew post 20. Wicked Strong, in his last start, won the $1 million Grade I Wood Memorial on April 5 at Aqueduct in New York.
Big Brown (2008) is the only winner from post 20 in Kentucky Derby history. Only one other horse breaking from post 20 has finished in the top three from 14 starters.
The 21st horse entered Wednesday, Pablo Del Monte, is on the also-eligible list and will be able to run only if one of the 20 horses in the main body of the race is scratched before 8 a.m. Central on Friday, when advance wagering begins on the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby field is capped at 20. If more than 20 enter, starting preference is given to horses with the highest number of points accumulated in designated Kentucky Derby qualifying races.
Sports, Pages 17 on 05/01/2014