2018 Kentucky Derby: Betting Odds and Predictions

Last year’s winner Always Dreaming won the race by two-and-three-quarter lengths. Justify and Audible are two of the favorites to win this year’s Derby.

Before you place your Kentucky Derby bet, we wanted to give you a quick overview of the horses, their post positions, trainer, jockey and current odds. Of course, the odds can change quickly, so keep yourself posted by checking our Kentucky Derby odds board.

Kentucky Derby Horse Odds

Here’s the full field, numbered by post position.

1. Firenze Fire

Trainer: Jason Servis

Jockey: Paco Lopez

Odds: 28-1

Firenze Fire is sired by Poseidon’s Warrior, winner of the 2012 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and 14th place in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Firenze Fire was a 7th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

2. Free Drop Billy

Trainer: Dale Romans

Jockey: Robby Albarado

Odds: 34-1

Free Drop Billy was sired by Union Rags, who won the 2011 Saratoga Special and Champagne Stakes, and was 7th in the Kentucky Derby that season. Union Rags won the 2012 Belmont Stakes.

3. Promises Fulfilled

Trainer: Dale Romans

Jockey: Corey Lanerie

Odds: 40-1

Promises Fulfilled is from the second crop of Shackleford, who won the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes and finished 4th in the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

4. Flameaway

Trainer: Mark Casse

Jockey: Jose Lezcano

Odds: 33-1

Sired by Scat Daddy, Flameaway won the 2017 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga. He finished 8th at the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

5. Audible

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Odds: 8-1

Audible is trained by last year’s Kentucky Derby-winner Todd Pletcher. The son of Into Mischief is one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby. Audible recently won the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

6. Good Magic

Trainer: Chad Brown

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Odds: 11-1

Good Magic was the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner at Del Mar.  He is sired by Curlin, who finished 3rd in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness and finished 2nd in the Belmont Stakes Curlin won the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

7. Justify

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Jockey: Mike Smith

Odds: 3-1

Justify is one of two horses in the Derby who didn’t race at age 2. The other is Magnum Moon. No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Kentucky Derby after not racing as a 2-year-old, yet Justify is favored to win this race by 3-1. Justify was also sired by Scat Daddy.

8. Lone Sailor

Trainer: Tom Amoss

Jockey: James Graham

Odds: 51-1

Lone Sailor was sired by Majestic Warrior, a son of A.P. Indy.  A.P. Indy  won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as being crowned American Horse of the Year in 1992.

9. Hofburg

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Odds: 21-1

Hofburg was sired by Tapit and mare Soothing Touch. Tapit became the leading sire in the United States in 2014, and his stud fee in 2015 was the highest in the country. The Derby will be Hofburg’s 4th career start.

10. My Boy Jack

Trainer: Keith Desormeaux

Jockey: Kent Desormeaux

Odds: 20-1

The most experienced horse in the Derby with ten starts.  My Boy Jack is sired by Creative Cause, who ran 5th in the 2012 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and finished 3rd in the Preakness Stakes.

11. Bolt d’Oro

Trainer: Mick Ruiz

Jockey: Victor Espinoza

Odds: 9-1

Another odds favorite in this race, Bolt d’Oro was sired by Medaglia d’Oro, who sired the 2009 Preakness Stakes winner – filly Rachel Alexandra. Bolt d’Oro won the San Felipe Stakes in March.

12. Enticed

Trainer: Kieran McLaughlin

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Odds: 25-1

Enticed is another sire of Medaglia d’Oro. His mare, It’s Tricky, had three career victories at the Grade 1 level. In March, Enticed won the 1-mile Gotham Stakes.

13. Bravazo

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas

Jockey: Luis Contreras

Odds: 52-1

Bravazo was sired by Awesome Again, who had an undefeated season of six starts and won the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another experienced horse in the Derby, Bravazo has posted a 3-1-1 record in eight starts.

14. Mendelssohn

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien

Jockey: Ryan Moore

Odds: 5-1

Mendelssohn is one of the final foal crop sired by Scat Daddy. He is out of the 2016 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year, Leslie’s Lady. A big favorite at the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Mendelssohn won the UAE Derby by over 18 lengths in March of this year.

15. Instilled Regard

Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer

Jockey: Drayden Van Dyke

Odds: 52-1

Bred by KatieRich Farms in Kentucky, Instilled Regard is from the penultimate crop of the stallion Arch, who won the Grade 1 Super Derby and as of 2012 has sired 38 stakes winners, 20 of them graded winners.

16. Magnum Moon

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Luis Saez

Odds: 8-1

Magnum Moon won the Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 14 and the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn on March 17.  Magnum Moon is in A.P. Indy’s sireline.

17. Solomini

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Odds: 20-1

Solomini is part of a three-horse Derby-Oaks contingent for trainer Bob Baffert that also included race favorite, Justify. With just 3 starts, Solomini has gone 1-2-0 and earned $436,000.

18. Vino Rosso

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: John Velazquez

Odds: 16-1

Vino Rosso won his first stakes race and earned 100 points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby May 5 at Churchill Dows. His sire was Curlin finished 3rd in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness and was 2nd in the Belmont Stakes before winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

19. Noble Indy

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Odds: 20-1

Noble Indy is sired from Take Charge Indy, who won the Florida Derby in 2012. His grandsire is A.P. Indy, a Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner.

20. Combatant

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.

Odds: 52-1

Combatant is sired by Scat Daddy, who won the 2006 Champagne Stakes.

2018 Kentucky Derby Winner Prediction

It’s hard not to pick Justify, who is the 3-1 favorite and drew the No. 7 post, which is a favorable position. UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn is listed at 5-1 and will start from the No. 14 post and is a great bet. Magnum Moon is another good pick at 8-1 odds. If you’d rather take a chance on a long shot, My Boy Jack is a very experienced racer and has appealing 20-1 odds.