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Kentucky Derby 2009 - Saturday, May 2

This first race in the coveted Triple Crown of horse racing attracts plenty of attention. Since 2005, when the purse went from one million to two million dollars, the "Run For The Roses" offers the biggest prize of all the Stakes races.

The May 2nd running of the Kentucky Derby will be the 135th time that the race has been held.

To choose the winner you need to know the pedigree of the horse and his past history in the Stakes races. How the horse handles various track conditions can mean the difference between a win or an also-ran. Who trains and rides the colt is another fact that handicappers look at. Pros can also look back on patterns of past Kentucky Derby winners and use that knowledge to predict the outcome.

2009 Kentucky Derby Post Positions, Jockey, Trainer, and Odds
— as of Wednesday April 29, 2009

1. West Side Bernie (Stewart Elliott, Kelly Breen), 30-1
2. Musket Man (Eibar Coa, Derek Ryan), 20-1
3. Mr. Hot Stuff (John Velazquez, Eoin Harty), 30-1
4. Advice (Rene Douglas, Todd Pletcher), 30-1
5. Hold Me Back (Kent Desormeaux, Bill Mott), 15-1
6. Friesan Fire (Gabriel Saez, Larry Jones), 5-1
7. Papa Clem (Rafael Bejarano, Gary Stute), 20-1
8. Mine That Bird (Calvin Borel, Bennie Woolley Jr.), 50-1
9. Join in the Dance (Chris DeCarlo, Todd Pletcher), 50-1
10. Regal Ransom (Alan Garcia, Saeed bin Suroor), 30-1
11. Chocolate Candy (Mike Smith, Jerry Hollendorfer), 20-1
12. General Quarters (Julien Leparoux, Jeff Mullins), 20-1
13. I Want Revenge (Joe Talamo, Jeff Mullins), 3-1 (scratched!) *
14. Atomic Bird (Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen), 50-1
15. Dunkirk (Edgar Prado, Todd Pletcher), 4-1
16. Pioneerof the Nile (Garrett Gomez, Bob Baffert), 4-1
17. Summer Bird (Chris Rosier, Tim Ice), 50-1
18. Nowhere to Hide (Shaun Bridgmohan, Nick Zito), 50-1
19. Desert Party (Ramon Dominguez, Saeed bin Suroor), 15-1
20. Flying Private (Robby Albarado, D. Wayne Lukas), 50-

Since 2000, only three of the horses who were favorites at the start of the Kentucky Derby finished in the money. In 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus won and in 2004 Smarty Jones won. Empire Maker placed in 2003. Harlan's Holiday (2002), Bellamy Road (2005) and Sweetnorthernsaint (2006) all heavy favorites finished seventh. The sweetheart of the odds makers in 2001, Point Given, ended his race in fifth place. In spite of all of the best guesses from odds makers, the final verdict can only be decided by the horse and rider when the winner crosses the finish line.

2009 Kentucky Derby Favorites

This year's favorites include Louisiana Derby first place finisher Friesan Fire, Florida Derby champion Quality Road and Santa Anita Derby winner Pioneer of the Nile.

Trailing far behind in fifth is Dunkirk while other favorites rounding out the top picks include Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem, Blue Grass Stakes winner General Quarters, Illinois Derby champ Musket Man and Chocolate Candy, Santa Anita Derby runner-up.

* Footnote: Hours before the race, odds-on favorite I Want Revenge was scratched due to an early morning ankle injury, becoming the first morning-line Kentucky Derby favorite to scratch the day of the race.

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