Kentucky Derby 2019: Track conditions and morning line odds
By Zoe West
The Kentucky Derby is here, and the field finally looks complete.
For the first time in many many years, the Kentucky Derby will not feature a full field of 20 horses. Three days before the race, likely favorite Omaha Beach was scratched after being diagnosed with an entrapped epiglottis. Then, on Kentucky Derby eve, longshot Haikal came up with an abscess. Those occur in the horses feet, often as a result of changes in the weather or the ground. And while they are pretty simple to treat, they are probably even more painful than they sound initially.
Bodexpress was added to the field after Omaha Beach went down, but they were unable to find a replacement for Haikal on such short notice. So when the Kentucky Derby goes off it will feature a slightly smaller (but still intimidating) group. Though the odds for each horse will undoubtedly change by post time, on the morning line they stand as:
1. War of Will – 14/1
2. Tax – 38/1
3. By My Standards – 13/1
4. Grey Magician – 36/1
5. Improbable – 5/1
6. Vekoma – 18/1
7. Maximum security – 5/1
8. Tacitus – 4/1
9. Plus Que Parfait – 50/1
10. Cutting Humor – 16/1
11. Haikal – SCR
12. Omaha Beach – SCR
13. Code of Honor – 15/1
12. Win Win Win – 10/1
14. Master Fencer – 70/1
16. Game Winner – 17/4
17. Roadster – 7/1
18. Long Range Toddy – 25/1
19. Spinoff – 25/1
20. Country House – 67/1
21. Bodexpress – 25/1
The track the horses face this evening, will be sloppy or muddy after notable rain both earlier in the week, and on Saturday morning.
The wet conditions will be a challenge, and a new one for some of the horses involved. Not all of them have even run on a wet track, and some of those who have didn’t like it very much. It’s hard to blame them, really. When horses come in after a race in the mud it can be hard to tell who’s who. Everyone shares the same monochromatic mud brown color, as the horses not on the lead spent the entire race being pelted with mud kicked up by those in front.
Of the horses in the Derby field those who have had some success in the mud include:
Maximum Security
War of Will
Plus Que Parfait
By My Standards
Improbable
Of those, Improbable faced the toughest competition, running second to Omaha Beach on a sloppy track in the Arkansas Derby. But they all have some noted success in the mud. However, there could be a real mudder somewhere else in the field who just hasn’t shown yet, as Tax, Vekoma, Code of Honor, Game Winner, and Roadster have never run in the mud.