Kentucky Derby 2019 Live
The 145th running of the Kentucky Derby is set for this Saturday, May 4, and gamblers and horse-racing fans alike are getting prepared. This year's field features 20 horses who will be competing for a largest-ever guaranteed purse of $3 million, an increase of $1 million from last year.
One shocker coming into the race is that the favorite, Omaha Beach, a powerful horse who has won three straight races and entered with pool-best odds of 4-1, has dropped out. The horse reportedly was scratched due to a breathing problem. Game Winner is now the new favorite, with recent odds giving the horse a pool best 5-1 chance of victory. On the other end of the spectrum, a long-shot making waves before the big race is Tacitus, who comes in at 10-1. 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.
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That said, this may very well be Game Winner'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.
Weather forecast for Saturday's Kentucky Derby
One variable to keep on eye on this Saturday is the weather. Early reports indicate a 70 percent chance of showers on Saturday.
According to the National Weather service, the forecast for Saturday afternoon is partly sunny with a high around 75 degrees and a light breeze of about 5 mph. With that kind of forecast, the track should be fast. Though, rain has rated the track both "sloppy" and "muddy" the previous two years.
Rain has fallen on Derby day 68 times over its past 144 runnings. With over three inches of rainfall on race day, last year's was the wettest-ever Kentucky Derby.
The warmest temperature ever recorded for the Kentucky Derby was 94 in 1957. The coldest was 36 degrees, occurring in both 1940 and again in 1957.
How to watch the Kentucky Derby
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2019
Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
Post time: 6:50 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC
Online Stream: NBC Sports Live (subscription required) or stream live on fubo.tv – start a free trial
TV broadcast time: 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET
Kentucky Derby opening odds
(Source: CBS Sportsline, as of May 2)
Be sure to take a look at picks by Jody Demling, "Hammerin'" Hank Goldberg, and Rick Eng.
Game Winner 5-1
Roadster 6-1
Improbable 6-1
Maximum Security 10-1
Tacitus 10-1
Code of Honor 15-1
Win Win Win 15-1
War of Will 20-1
Tax 20-1
By My Standards 20-1
Vekoma 20-1
Plus Que Parfait 30-1
Cutting Humor 30-1
Haikal 30-1
Long Range Toddy 30-1
Spinoff 30-1
Country House 30-1
Gray Magician 50-1
Master Fencer 50-1
The 2019 Kentucky Derby takes on an entirely different feel following Omaha Beach's late scratch.
Omaha Beach, the early betting favorite to win this year's Run for the Roses, was scratched from the race due to a respiratory issue.
That leaves three Bob Baffert-trained horses—Game Winner, Improbable and Roadster—as the favorites to be the victor.
With Omaha Beach out of the field, perhaps that could lead to a longshot notching an upset victory in this year's Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby Information
Post Time: Saturday at 6:50 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Preview
It's not often that a Kentucky Derby favorite is scratched from the lineup only days before the race, but Omaha Beach suffered an entrapped epiglottis. That means longtime trainer Richard Mandella won't notch his first career Kentucky Derby win, and jockey Mike Smith, who rode Justify to last year's Triple Crown, won't be in this year's Run for the Roses.
But more importantly, Omaha Beach will be OK.
"I'm a little bummed out, but the horse is OK and we're going to be all right," Smith told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "The good news is it wasn't anything that is life-threatening.''
Baffert has five career Kentucky Derby wins, including with Justify last year and fellow Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah in 2015. He has a good chance to secure another victory this year.
Game Winner is now the favorite to win with 9-2 odds (as of Thursday at 3 a.m. ET, per SportsLine). Improbable and Roadster each have 5-1 odds.
It will be interesting to see how Game Winner and Roadster come out of their posts, as they'll be starting alongside each other in the Nos. 15 and 16 spots—the horses in posts Nos. 13-20 have all moved up one following Omaha Beach's withdrawal.
Improbable could be the Baffert horse that finishes the best, perhaps even winning, after its favorable post draw of No. 5.
Improbable nearly won the Arkansas Derby on April 13, making a strong push down the final stretch but coming up short against Omaha Beach.
