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Kentucky Derby 2019: Full field, post positions, and jockey list

By Zoe West

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: Javier Castellano (center) atop Normandy Invasion leads the field as Joel Rosario atop Orb (far left) races from behind through the fourth turn to victory in the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: Javier Castellano (center) atop Normandy Invasion leads the field as Joel Rosario atop Orb (far left) races from behind through the fourth turn to victory in the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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With the late defection of presumed favorite Omaha Beach the Kentucky Derby field has changed.

A few days ago, the Kentucky Derby field had taken on what most people presumed was its final form. But then Omaha Beach started coughing, and his connections wisely chose his health (and maybe even his life) over a chance run for the roses.

  • Post position. Horse name
    • Jockey
  • 1. War of Will
    • Tyler Gaffalione
  • 2. Tax
    • Junior Alvarado
  • 3. By My Standards
    • Gabriel Saez
  • 4. Grey Magician
    • Drayden Van Dyke
  • 5. Improbable
    • Irad Ortiz Jr.
  • 6. Vekoma
    • Javier Castellano
  • 7. Maximum security
    • Luis Saez
  • 8. Tacitus
    • Jose Ortiz
  • 9. Plus Que Parfait
    • Ricardo Santana Jr.
  • 10. Cutting Humor
    • Mike Smith
  • 11. Haikal
    • Rajiv Maragh
  • 13. Code of Honor
    • John Velasquez
  • 14. Win Win Win
    • Julian Pimentel
  • 15. Master Fencer
    • Julien Leparoux
  • 16. Game Winner
    • Joel Rosario
  • 17. Roadster
    • Florent Geroux
  • 18. Long Range Toddy
    • Jon Court
  • 19. Spinoff
    • Manny Franco
  • 20. Country House
    • Flavien Prat
  • 21. Bodexpress
    • Chris Landeros

Before his connections noticed the breathing difficulties, Omaha Beach was slated to start in slot 12, and Bodexpress was not in the field. Once the decision was made to keep Omaha Beach in the barn, the horses who were positioned outside of him slid one gate in (though they will continue to wear their original gate numbers,) and Bodexpress, who was the first horse left out of the field (on the Derby points scale) got the chance to start.

Kind of surprisingly, there will be two horses in the Derby field whose Jockeys are sitting on them (in a race) for the first time. Roadster was ridden for most of his career by Mike Smith. Smith is one of the most well-respected jockeys in the sport. Because of this, he gets the chance to ride a few of the best horses out there, and they often do well. on the road to the Kentucky Derby 2019 Smith was the jockey of both Roadster and Omaha Beach.

After both of those horses officially made the field Smith had to make a choice, and he chose to stay on Omaha Beach. Unfortunately, Omaha Beach won’t be showing, so theoretically Mike Smith could have stepped back to riding Roadster. But there isn’t any indication that Bob Baffert (Roadster’s trainer) plans to do so.

Since then, it has been REPORTED that Smith will be taking over the ride on Cutting Humor for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The other new horse and jockey combination is Grey Magician and Drayden Van Dyke. In a case similar to Mike Smith’s, Joel Rosario had ridden Gray Magician when he ran second in the USE Derby in March. Earlier in the colt’s career he had been ridden by Tiago Pereira and Flavien Prat. But in the Kentucky Derby, Rosario will be riding Game Winner and Grey Magician will get the fourth jockey of his short career.

The Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 4, at 6:50 p.m. ET.

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