On Wednesday afternoon, the post positions were selected for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby, to be held Saturday May 2, 2009, at Churchill Downs. Selection order for the field of 20 was determined by random draw in the morning and then the connections made their post position selections Wednesday afternoon at a special ceremony.
Even with four scratches announced so far this week, again a maximum field of 20 three-year-olds will go in the Run for the Roses. Churchill Downs morning line handicapper Mike Battaglia named Wood Memorial winner I Want Revenge as the 3-1 favorite out of the 13 post. Santa Anita Derby winner Pioneerof the Nile, out of post 16, and Florida Derby runner-up Dunkirk, to his inside in post 15, are both at 4-1. Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire, listed at 5-1 out of the 6 hole, is the only other horse at single digits on the morning line, with the balance of the field at 15-1 or higher. Six horses were listed at the longest odds of 50-1.
Jeff Mullins, trainer of favorite I Want Revenge, said, "(The owners) do all the handicapping and I worry about the horse, but I think their goal was to keep all the speed inside of us. So I think we're pretty satisfied with (post 13). I think we'll be fairly close to the pace, tracking the leaders. It's nice to have the favorite because they are giving us respect. I didn't want to come back here again unless I had a good horse."
The Kentucky Derby will be televised on NBC from 4-7:00pm EDT but you can watch most of the Derby card on ESPN from 1-5pm on ESPN. Free past performances will be available from DRF soon. Post time for the Derby should be at 6:04pm EDT.
Update: Unfortunately I Want Revenge scratched the morning of the Derby (announced at 9am) with a sore ankle. Details in his profile.
Below is a table with the entries in post position order with morning line odds. Be sure to click the link on each horse's name to view full info, stats, and a photo where available. The dual qualifiers are noted with a star by their dosage index.
Triple Crown quick links:
- Kentucky Derby Central - the master index to all things Derby
- Thursday Kentucky Derby Photos - 8 Derby horses and 2 Oaks fillies from the works and paddock schooling on April 30
- Wednesday Kentucky Derby Photos - 9 Derby horses and one Oaks filly from the works and paddock schooling on April 29
- Analyzing the Derby Contenders - trying to pick a winner by profiling
- Kentucky Derby past performances - free from DRF
- Free past performances - free from BRISnet
- Derby Weather - several forecasts for Louisville.
- Thursday Kentucky Derby Photos - from the morning works and afternoon paddock schooling
- Wednesday Kentucky Derby Photos - from the morning works
- Triple Crown Trail - prep race schedule with results posted
- Review: Betting the Kentucky Derby - How to Wager and Win on America's Biggest Horse Race by Dean Keppler
- Kentucky Derby And Oaks Security - If you are attending in person, read this!
- 2009 Kentucky Derby Contenders Graded Stakes Earnings - Graded stakes earnings for the top Derby contenders. This figure is what determines who can get into the Kentucky Derby.
- Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 - was open from April 2-5 and again offered exacta wagering in addition to win bets. Get all the horses, final odds, will-pays, and free past performances here. Links to Pools 1 and 2 are included.
- 2008 Experimental Free Handicap - ranks the top 2-year-olds of 2008 and determines the Dual Qualifiers for the Derby
- 2009 Triple Crown Early Nominations - 401 horses were nominated in the early period which closed on January 24.
- 2009 Triple Crown Late Nominations - 11 more horses nominated by March 28 for a $6000 fee were announced on April 1st headed by Florida Derby winner Quality Road.
- Injury Report - who is hurt or off the trail from the Road to the Roses contest
- Kentucky Derby 101 - An overview of the Kentucky Derby from history to handicapping to how to attend. Perfect for beginners.
- Kentucky Derby Winners - all the winners with their connections and other info
- Derby Briefing Book - Top Derby contenders with profiles from the Courier-Journal
- Louisville Courier Journal coverage - one of your best news sources for the Derby
- Lexington Herald-Leader - another good source for Kentucky racing news
- Blood Horse Triple Crown Mania
- Thoroughbred Times Road to the Triple Crown
- DRF Kentucky Derby Special - with profiles, prep recaps and video, past performances, stats, and more.
- Official Kentucky Derby site from Churchill Downs
- Derby Tickets and Seats - how to get them
- Triple Crown Index - the master list for all three races
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Dosage | Jockey | M/L Odds |
| 1 | West Side Bernie * | Kelly Breen | 1.80 | Stewart Elliott | 30-1 |
| 2 | Musket Man | Derek Ryan | 4.00 | Eibar Coa | 20-1 |
| 3 | Mr. Hot Stuff | Eoin Harty | 2.11 | John Velazquez | 30-1 |
| 4 | Advice | Todd Pletcher | 3.80 | Rene Douglas | 30-1 |
| 5 | Hold Me Back | Bill Mott | 3.44 | Kent Desormeaux | 15-1 |
| 6 | Friesan Fire | Larry Jones | 3.00 | Gabriel Saez | 5-1 |
| 7 | Papa Clem | Gary Stute | 3.36 | Rafael Bejarano | 20-1 |
| 8 | Mine That Bird | Bennie Woolley | 5.40 | Calvin Borel | 50-1 |
| 9 | Join in the Dance | Todd Pletcher | 2.00 | Chris DeCarlo | 50-1 |
| 10 | Regal Ransom | Saeed bin Suroor | 2.00 | Alan Garcia | 30-1 |
| 11 | Chocolate Candy * | Jerry Hollendorfer | 2.08 | Mike Smith | 20-1 |
| 12 | General Quarters | Mark Miller | 2.69 | Julien Leparoux | 20-1 |
| 13 | I Want Revenge * | Jeff Mullins | 3.00 | Joe Talamo | scratched |
| 14 | Atomic Rain | Kelly Breen | 3.40 | Joe Bravo | 50-1 |
| 15 | Dunkirk | Todd Pletcher | 3.00 | Edgar Prado | 4-1 |
| 16 | Pioneerof The Nile * | Bob Baffert | 3.89 | Garrett Gomez | 4-1 |
| 17 | Summer Bird | Tim Ice | 2.11 | Chris Rosier | 50-1 |
| 18 | Nowhere to Hide | Nick Zito | 2.33 | Shaun Bridgmohan | 50-1 |
| 19 | Desert Party | Saeed bin Suroor | 3.80 | Ramon Dominguez | 15-1 |
| 20 | Flying Private | D. Wayne Lukas | 3.67 | Robby Albarado | 50-1 |
