We finally get back to a sense of normalcy with the Kentucky Derby being held on the first Saturday in May. The 2021 Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday at Churchill Downs with a post time of 6:57 p.m. Eastern on NBC. Essential Quality is listed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in a full field of 20 horses. With so many horses, a clean trip is no guarantee, so that means a longshot could win this race. Let’s look at Kentucky Derby odds and Kentucky Derby longshots.
2021 Kentucky Derby Odds
Post, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Morning-line odds
1. Known Agenda, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1
2. Like the King, Wesley Ward, Drayden Van Dyke, 50-1
3. Brooklyn Strong, Daniel Velazquez, Umberto Rispoli, 50-1
4. Keepmeinmind, Robertino Diodoro, David Cohen, 50-1
5. Sainthood, Todd Pletcher, Corey Lanerie, 50-1
6. O Besos, Greg Foley, Marcelino Pedroza, 20-1
7. Mandaloun, Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 15-1
8. Medina Spirit, Bob Baffert, John Velazquez, 15-1
9. Hot Rod Charlie, Doug O'Neill, Flavien Prat, 8-1
10. Midnight Bourbon, Steve Asmussen, Mike Smith, 20-1
11. Dynamic One, Todd Pletcher, Jose Ortiz, 20-1
12. Helium, Mark Casse, Julien Leparoux, 50-1
13. Hidden Stash, Vicki Oliver, Rafael Bejarano, 50-1
14. Essential Quality, Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 2-1
15. Rock Your World, John Sadler, Joel Rosario, 5-1
16. King Fury, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1
17. Highly Motivated, Chad Brown, Javier Castellano, 10-1
18. Super Stock, Steve Asmussen, Ricardo Santana Jr., 30-1
19. Soup and Sandwich, Mark Casse, Tyler Gaffalione, 30-1
20. Bourbonic, Todd Pletcher, Kendrick Carmouche, 30-1
Kentucky Derby Longshots
I am considering any horse with odds of 20-1 or more as a longshot. Those horses with odds below that number I will not consider, even though by post time on Saturday we could have a lot of horses listed with odds of 20-1 or more. That gives us 13 horses listed with odds of 20-1 or more on the morning line. We have to narrow that list down so I am throwing out all of the horses with odds of 50-1 or more, as most of them have no real chance to win Saturday’s race. That gives us seven horses to consider for our Kentucky Derby longshots. Those seven horses are O Besos, Midnight Bourbon, Dynamic One, King Fury, Super Stock, Soup and Sandwich and Bourbonic
I am not excited about taking Bourbonic even though he is trained by Todd Pletcher. Bourbonic won the Wood at huge odds, but it was against a poor field and in a slow time. I also don’t think much of O Besos who couldn’t even run with Hot Rod Charlie or Midnight Bourbon in the Louisiana Derby. I am also leaving out Soup and Sandwich, as he looked tired in finishing second in the Florida Derby.
King Fury was one of my selections in the Kentucky Derby picks article, so it makes sense I like him as a longshot.
Super Stock has been improving, as he was 38-1 to win the Rebel Stakes and then 12-1 in the Arkansas Derby. He looked good in winning the Arkansas Derby and a step forward is possible.
Midnight Bourbon was second to Hot Rod Charlie in the Louisiana Derby. He earned a solid 96 Beyer in that race and did well in traffic. He has also been training well at Churchill Downs.
Dynamic One is trained by Pletcher and Pletcher said this horse has been training better than all of his other horses. He ran a great work at Churchill Downs recently and looks primed for a big effort.
Kentucky Derby Longshot Picks
I narrowed the list of Kentucky Derby longshots to four, but I need to narrow it even further for the picks. The two I am choosing are Super Stock and Dynamic One and don’t forget I already have King Fury as part of my Derby picks. I’ll play Super Stock and Dynamic One for a little bit to win, but the focus with those horses will be on exacta and trifecta tickets along with the favorite, Essential Quality.
Check out the latest Kentucky Derby odds at BookMaker.eu.
