What to know about the 2019 Kentucky Derby

April 29, 2019

Get ready, horse-racing fans and gamblers alike, as the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby is set for this Saturday, May 4. This year’s field features 22 horses who will be competing for a largest-ever guaranteed purse of $3 million, an increase of $1 million from last year.

CBS Sports reports the favorite coming into the first race of the Triple Crown is Omaha Beach, a powerful horse who has won three straight races and enters with pool-best odds of 7-2. On the other end of the spectrum, a long-shot making waves before the big race is Tacitus, who comes in at 14-1. Tacitus won the Tampa Bay Derby and the Wood Memorial in his last two starts and could be the classic underdog carried forward with big momentum.

One group of horses to keep an eye on are the trio of Improbable, Roadster and Game Winner, all trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, winner of the 2018 Triple Crown with Justify and the 2015 Triple Crown with American Pharoah. This year Baffert looks to win a record-tying sixth Kentucky Derby, which would match “Plain” Ben Jones, winner of six Derby races between 1938 and 1952.

That said, this may very well be Omaha Beach’s race to lose. In each of the past six years, the horse who broke from the gate with the shortest odds ended up winning the Kentucky Derby. Known as the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports, the Derby track measures 1 and ¼ miles, making it the second-longest of the Triple Crown races.

One variable to keep on eye on is the weather. Early reports indicate a 20 percent chance of showers on Saturday.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby

Date: Saturday, May 4
Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
Post time: 6:50 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC
Streaming: NBC Sports Live
TV broadcast time: 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET

Kentucky Derby opening odds

(Source: CBS Sportsline, as of April 29)

Omaha Beach 7-2
Roadster 7-2
Improbable 5-1
Maximum Security 6-1
Game Winner 7-1
Tacitus 14-1
By My Standards 14-1
War of Will 16-1
Code of Honor 18-1
Vekoma 20-1
Spinoff 25-1
Win Win Win 25-1
Anothertwistafate 40-1
Haikal 50-1
Long Range Toddy 50-1
Cutting Humor 60-1
Tax 60-1
Bodeexpress 100-1
Country House 100-1
Gray Magician 100-1
Master Fencer 100-1
Plus Que Parfait 100-1
Signalman 200-1
Sueno 300-1