Last year’s Kentucky Derby was one of the most controversial in the 146-year history of the Run for the Roses. The favorite, Maximum Security, crossed the finish line in first place, just ahead of Country House, a long shot in the race. However, a lengthy steward’s inquiry concluded that Maximum Security had swerved into the paths of War of Will and Long Range Toddy, keeping them from being able to place as well as they could have otherwise. Maximum Security was dropped from first to 17th place in the final standings, leaving Country House as the winner. A lengthy court battle ensued, but the result stood. It was the first time a horse had ever lost a victory for an infraction on the track, and those who had bet on Country House collected on 65-1 odds, the second highest payout for any winner since 1913, when Donerail won, paying on 91-1 odds. In 2020, the Belmont Stakes ended up being the first leg in the Triple Crown due to the postponements of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Tiz the Law won at Belmont Park; can he complete the Triple Crown? We have the Kentucky Derby betting odds for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby and thoughts on Tiz the Law’s chances of pulling off the rare triple.
Kentucky Derby Betting News:
Does Tiz the Law have what it takes to with the Triple Crown?
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnick the Fierce | Martin Garcia | 50/1 |
| 2 | Max Player | Ricardo Santana Jr | 30/1 |
| 3 | Enforceable | Adam Beschizza | 30/1 |
| 4 | Storm the Court | Flavien Prat | 50/1 |
| 5 | Major Fed | James Graham | 50/1 |
| 6 | King Guillermo | Samy Camacho | 20/1 |
| 7 | Money Moves | Javier Castellano | 30/1 |
| 8 | South Bend | Jose I. Ortiz | 50/1 |
| 9 | Mr. Big News | Gabriel Saez | 50/1 |
| 10 | Thousand Words | Florent Geroux | 15/1 |
| 11 | Necker Island | Miguel Mana | 50/1 |
| 12 | Sole Volante | Luca Panici | 30/1 |
| 13 | Attachment Rate | Joe Talamo | 50/1 |
| 14 | Winning Impression | Joe Rocco Jr | 50/1 |
| 15 | Ny Traffic | Paco Lopez | 20/1 |
| 16 | Honor A.P. | Mike Smith | 5/1 |
| 17 | Tiz The Law | Manny Franco | 3/5 |
| 18 | Authentic | John Velazquez | 8/1 |
The Kentucky Derby will already feel unusual enough. After all, it’s on Labor Day weekend this year, instead of the first weekend in May. Normally, 150,000 fans crowd Churchill Downs in their spring best, but this time the stands will be empty.
So expecting the heavy favorite to win might be a bit of a reach. Yes, six favorites had won in a row before the chaos of 2019, beginning with Orb in 2013 and running all the way through Justify in 2018. Justify, of course, went on to win the Triple Crown.
Tiz The Law enters the Kentucky Derby with even more fanfare than the likes of American Pharaoh and Justify, having already won the Belmont Stakes. He didn’t win it by a nose, either; his victory was emphatic. He followed that up with a dominant pair of prep stakes races in Florida and blew away the competition at the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 8.
Bob Baffert has trained the last two winners of the Triple Crown, and he had entered Uncle Chuck in the Travers Stakes. Tiz The Law pulled even with him at the Travers Stakes without even having built up much of a sweat, and Uncle Chuck ended up getting blown away.
It is true that the talent at Churchill Downs will present the best field that Tiz The Law has ever faced. However, this race has more of the sense of a Preakness Stakes, as Tiz The Law has already won one of the three legs of the Triple Crown, so the other riders know which horse to target. However, there has been a long break between legs, and Tiz The Law and the rest of the field have logged more miles than they would normally have during a Triple Crown season. Injuries and bad fortune are a major part of this sport, and both of those have hampered horses in the past.
If luck holds, then Tiz The Law has the speed and endurance to pull through. That’s why he’s the heavy favorite. If he falters, the likes of Authentic and Honor A.P. are waiting in the wings — as are the long shots.
