Advertisement
U.S. markets closed
  • S&P Futures

    5,304.25
    -4.00 (-0.08%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    40,140.00
    -36.00 (-0.09%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,465.00
    -38.75 (-0.21%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,145.20
    +6.80 (+0.32%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • Gold

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Silver

    25.10
    +0.18 (+0.74%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0781
    -0.0013 (-0.12%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2060
    +0.0100 (+0.24%)
     
  • Vix

    13.01
    +0.23 (+1.80%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2623
    +0.0000 (+0.00%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.2730
    -0.0990 (-0.07%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,765.70
    +1,301.13 (+1.87%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,402.37
    +234.30 (+0.58%)
     

Who Will Win The 141st Kentucky Derby?

As the 2015 Kentucky Derby approaches, 21 horses will be making an attempt to win the 141st edition of the race. The winner, as always, has a chance at wining the elusive Triple Crown, a feat that has only been accomplished 11 times in 141 attempts.

A Brief History

Interestingly, three of those winners took place within a span of five years in the 1970s after no winners since Citation in 1948. It started with perhaps the greatest horse of all time, Secretariat in 1973, then Seattle Slew in 1977 and ended with the thrilling duel with Affirmed nudging Alydar in all three races in 1978.

Since then, 13 different horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness States, but have come up short in the grueling and longest of the three races, the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes. The most recent was I'll Have Another in 2012, a horse that never even made it to the starting gate due to injury. California Chrome finished fourth last year, as a well-rested Tonalist secured the victory.

Related Link: The Top Kentucky Derby Stocks

The Favorites

The two top contenders, Dortmund and American Pharoah, may be co-favorites. Dortmund scored an impressive victory in the Santa Anita Derby. He is unbeaten in all of his four starts and is trained by the seasoned veteran Bob Baffert. One reason he may end up the favorite is that he has drawn the Post 8 position, as opposed American Pharaoh who will be on the outside at Post 18.

American Pharoah is undefeated in his three starts and romped to an impressive victory in the Arkansas Derby, pulling away from the field in the stretch and winning by eight lengths. The horse is also trained by Baffert.

A Couple Of Underdogs

If one is laying off the favorites, there are few long shots that warrant mentioning. Materiality, with 12-1 odds on the morning line, scored a nice victory in the Florida Derby, taking the lead midway through the race and cruising to victory. One negative for the horse is it did not race as a two year old; No horse has ever won the Derby that did not compete as a two year old.

Related Link: Why Churchill Downs Is A Good Bet Ahead Of The Kentucky Derby

Another long shot that could pull an upset is Frosted, who is 15-1 on the morning line. The horse notched his first victory in the Wood Memorial, albeit a much slower time than the winners of the other prep races. His jockey, Joel Rosario guided Orb to a victory in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

In The End...

In a stampede of 21 horses, any horse could get the perfect trip and end up in the winner's circle. Let the speculation begin whether or not the horse has what it takes to be the next Triple Crown winner.

Some 120,000 people will fill Churchill Downs -- owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHDN) -- on Saturday afternoon. Enjoy watching the most exciting two minutes in sports.

Joel Elconin is the co-host of Benzinga's #PreMarket Prep, a daily trading idea radio show.

See more from Benzinga

© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Advertisement