Kentucky Derby odds have justify as the favorite

If it’s the first Saturday in May, that means the most storied thoroughbred race in North America is on tap: the Kentucky Derby, also called the “Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The 144th Run for the Roses from Churchill Downs is Saturday with an apparent wide-open field. The current betting favorite in the 1 1/4-mile race for three-year-olds on the dirt track in Louisville is Santa Anita Derby winner Justify at +350.

Justify is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has won the Kentucky Derby four times – last with American Pharoah in 2015. That colt became only the 12th winner of the Triple Crown (and first since 1978), which means a sweep of the Derby, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico two weeks later and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park three weeks after the Preakness.