-
1. Mo Donegal
(10-1 odds)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: Donegal Racing and Repole Stable
Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds
Career earnings: $621,800
Running style: Closer
Showed great acceleration in defeating Zandon as a 2-year-old in the Remsen Stakes.
-
2. Happy Jack
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Owners: Calumet Farm
Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 2 thirds
Career earnings: $182,200
Running style: Closer
Has four career starts with one win and looks to be very overmatched in this field.
-
3. Epicenter
(7-2 odds)
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Owners: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Career record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $1,010,639
Running style: On or near the front
Trainer is the all-time wins leader in North America but has never won the Derby.
-
4. Summer Is Tomorrow
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Mikael Barzalona
Trainer: Bhupat Seemar
Owners: Michael Hilary Burke and Negar Burke
Career record: 7 starts – 2 wins – 3 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $267,606
Running style: On or near the front
Dubai-based horse could be the longest of the long shots in the field at race timer.
-
5. Smile Happy
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Owners: Lucky Seven Stable
Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $549,810
Running style: Stalks the pace
Won both of his starts as a 2-year-old; has finished second in both of his 2022 races.
-
6. Messier
(8-1 odds)
Jockey: John Velazquez
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, and Siena Farm
Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 3 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $435,600
Running style: Toward the front
Previously training by suspended Bob Baffert. Canadian horse named for hockey star Mark Messier.
-
7. Crown Pride
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
Trainer: Kochi Shintani
Owners: Teruya Yoshida
Career record: 4 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $734,569
Running style: Stalks the pace
Japan-bred horse is the great-grandson of 1989 Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence.
-
8. Charge It
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Luis Saez
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: Whisper Hill Farm
Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $230,400
Running style: On or near the front
Horse didn’t start racing until this year and this will be his fourth career start.
-
9. Tiz the Bomb
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Owners: Magdalena Racing
Career record: 8 starts – 5 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $1,044,401
Running style: Closer
Horse has been a winner but all of those victories have been on turf or a synthetic surface.
-
10. Zandon
(3-1 odds)
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Trainer: Chad Brown
Owners: Jeff Drown
Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third
Career earnings: $713,000
Running style: Can stalk or close
St. Cloud-owned horse has been in the money in all four starts. Is he fit for 1¼ miles?
-
11. Pioneer of Medina
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Joe Bravo
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owners: Sumaya U.S. Stable
Career record: 6 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds
Career earnings: $181,350
Running style: On or near the front
Has finished behind Epicenter and Zozos in his last two races. Looks a bit lacking in this field.
-
12. Taiba
(12-1 odds)
Jockey: Mike Smith
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Owners: Zedan Racing Stables
Career record: 2 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $490,200
Running style: Near the front
Has won both of its starts. Jockey Mike Smith started career at Canterbury in 1980s.
-
13. Simplification
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Trainer: Antonio Sano
Owners: Tami Bobo
Career record: 7 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds
Career earnings: $515,350
Running style: Stalks the pace
Has done all of his racing at Gulfstream Park and will look to take on front-runners late.
-
14. Barber Road
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Reylu Gutierrez
Trainer: John Ortiz
Owners: WSS Racing
Career record: 8 starts – 2 wins – 4 seconds – 1 third
Career earnings: $650,720
Running style: Closer
A young trainer-owner combination for a horse purchased by its owners for only $15,000.
-
15. White Abarrio
(10-1 odds)
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Owners: C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable
Career record: 5 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third
Career earnings: $823,650
Running style: Stalks the pace
Interesting horse has won four of five starts, although some question if he’s right for this distance.
-
16. Cyberknife
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owners: Gold Square
Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $860,000
Running style: On or near the front
Winner of the Arkansas Derby. Horse could fetch a big price for those who believe in him.
-
17. Classic Causeway
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
Trainer: Brian Lynch
Owners: Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper
Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 1 third
Career earnings: $521,100
Running style: Toward the front
Finished last in the Florida Derby. Trainer went back-and-forth about entering him in this race.
-
18. Tawny Port
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owners: Peachtree Stable
Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $427,000
Running style: Stalks the pace
Good stamina and, if running well, should pass tired horses at the end.
-
19. Zozos
(20-1 odds)
Jockey: Manny Franco
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owners: Barry and Joni Butzow
Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Career earnings: $291,200
Running style: Toward the front
Eden Prairie-owned horse grabbed lead in Louisiana Derby but took second to Epicenter.
-
21. Rich Strike
(30-1 odds)
Jockey: Sonny Leon
Trainer: Eric Reed
Owner: Red-TR Racing
Career record: 7 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 3 thirds
Career earnings: $111,289
Running style: Closer
Distance should not be a problem but quality of field will be for horse that has won once in seven starts.
More Kentucky Derby coverage
• Who's going to win? Star Tribune handicapper Jay Lietzau makes his pick