The 140^th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place this Saturday from Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. We’ll take a look at some of the contenders in the field that makes this the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.

California Chrome (3.1 to 1 odds at 5Dimes Sportsbook) is the current favorite to win the race and for good reason. With 6 wins in 10 starts, the chestnut is running at a high level that could win the race. He won the Santa Anita Derby is dominating fashion, running the last quarter mile in 24.2 seconds winning by more than five lengths. Should he replicate that performance, he will certainly be hard to beat.

Trainer Bob Baffert is no stranger to the Kentucky Derby, with 3 wins in his career. Baffert once again has a contender in Hoppertunity (15 to 1 odds at 5Dimes Sportsbook) with 2 wins in 5 starts. Hoppertunity didn’t look too impressive in the Santa Anita Derby, yet he did have a strong finish rallying from a slow start. How Baffert trains at Churchill should be interesting, and with his experience could be a major factor in the race.

With 5 wins in 6 starts, Samraat (21 to 1 odds at 5Dimes Sportsbook) looks like an attractive play. All of his wins have been in New York, and his last race was a second place finish to Wicked Strong (currently 9.5 to 1 odds at 5Dimes Sportsbook) in Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial. The 3-year-old colt runs hard no matter what, and his last race was the first time he was surrounded and covered up, yet showed a lot of determination in rallying a few times. This colt definitely should not be overlooked. Samraat’s trainer Rick Violette believes the last race will only make him better, should that be the case, Samraat is a contender.

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s colt Intense Holiday (currently 29 to 1 odds at 5Dimes Sportsbook) is showing some value with his lifetime 2-1-1 record in 8 starts. The colt has an effective kick, and he does have a good amount of starts under his belt. Some have said that his style is a perfect fit for the Derby this year. If he can stay in the pack and not get in trouble early, he has the ability to make a good stretch run.

All Odds To Win The 2013 Triple Crown Below

Beating the Kentucky Derby odds, the Preakness Stakes odds, and the Belmont Stakes odds in the same year has been virtually impossible. In fact, for the better part of the last 3.5 decades, there hasn’t been a horse that has pulled off the remarkable feat. Now, one horse will have a chance to put his name amongst all of the fantastic horses in the history of the sport that have won the three biggest races of the year in succession, if he can just figure out how to tame the 1 1/2 mile run at the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.

Here is a full list of horses that have won the Triple Crown…

Full List Of Triple Crown Winners
1978 – Affirmed
1977 – Seattle Slew
1973 – Secretariat
1948 – Citation
1946 – Assault
1943 – Count Fleet
1941 – Whirlaway
1937 – War Admiral
1935 – Omaha
1930 – Gallant Fox
1919 – Sir Barton

Every single year, the horse that beats the Kentucky Derby odds have a chance to get the job done to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. This year, there really only seem to be two horses that are given any chance to win the Triple Crown.

The first is Orb. The fact that this horse is only 20 to 1 to win the Triple Crown are probably some pretty nice odds. Figure if Orb goes on to win the Kentucky Derby at 4 to 1, he will probably be right around an odds on favorite to win the Preakness Stakes and certainly be an odds on favorite if he ultimately wins both of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Just doing the simple math proves that if you like Orb, you should be betting on him to win the Triple Crown, perhaps even more so than you are betting on him just to win the Kentucky Derby.

The other logical horse to back is Verrazano. This is a horse that has only run four times in his entire career, but at least all four of those races came as a three-year old. Verrazano is an undefeated horse, and you have to love that about him. Interestingly enough, of all of the horses in the Kentucky Derby field, the one that is the favorite to win the Triple Crown is Verrazano. The logic must be that this is an undefeated horse, and it is very unlikely that Orb comes to the Preakness Stakes if this race is lost. There is a good chance that Verrazano will go to the Preakness Stakes if he doesn’t win the Derby.

Full List Of Triple Crown Losers
2008 – Big Brown
2004 – Smarty Jones
2003 – Funny Cide
2002 – War Emblem
1999 – Charismatic
1998 – Real Quiet
1997 – Silver Charm
1989 – Sunday Silence
1987 – Alysheba
1981 – Pleasant Colony
1979 – Spectacular Bid
1971 – Canonero II
1969 – Majestic Prince
1968 – Forward Pass
1966 – Kauai King
1964 – Northern Dancer
1961 – Carry Back
1958 – Tim Tam
1944 – Pensive
1936 – Bold Venture
1932 – Burgoo King

However, we know that these aren’t the only two horses that have a shot at claiming the Run for the Roses. It is going to take a horse that has the speed and the distance to be able to win the last two legs of the Triple Crown, and that’s something that is going to be awfully difficult to find. Perhaps a colt like Java’s War might be in good shape. He’s 185 to 1 to be able to get the job done, and there is no doubt that if he finds a way to win the 1 1/4 mile race, he will once again be favored at the Preakness Stakes. This is the type of horse that has a really tough time winning the Belmont Stakes, though. We know that Java’s War is going to try to win any race that he is in from behind, as he puts in his best work in the final quarter mile of any run that he has.

And then of course, there is the other possibility that there won’t be a Triple Crown winner. If you think that there is any horse that has a shot at doing it, you can get 7 to 1 odds, but in all likelihood, this will be another year without a Triple Crown triumph. When you consider the fact that there are so many more quality horses now than there were 25 years ago, it’s no wonder why it is so difficult to win the Triple Crown. Add in the fact that there have only been 11 three-year old colts to ever win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, and it goes without saying that the best bet might be taking the -1100 that a horse won’t win all three legs of the Triple Crown.

Odds To Win The Triple Crown @ 5Dimes Sportsbook
Oxbow 325 to 1
Revolutionary 48 to 1
Golden Soul 550 to 1
Normandy Invasion 71 to 1
Mylute 235 to 1
Giant Finish 440 to 1
Goldencents 33 to 1
Overanalyze 92 to 1
Palace Malice 235 to 1
Lines of Battle 235 to 1
Itsmyluckyday 95 to 1
Falling Sky 475 to 1
Verrazano 18 to 1
Charming Kitten 325 to 1
Orb 20 to 1
Will Take Charge 210 to 1
Frac Daddy 430 to 1
Java’s War 185 to 1
Vyjack 165 to 1
Any Horse Wins Triple Crown 7 to 1