America’s greatest horse race, the Kentucky Derby, takes place on Saturday with a 19-runner field set to line up at Churchill Downs.
Long time favourite Forte heads the field in the £2.5 million showpiece in Louisville, Kentucky where the race has its 149th renewal.
Forte, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Florida Derby and trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher, will be ridden by multiple champion jockey Irad Ortiz who is seeking his debut victory in the Classic.
Forte is one of three contenders trained by Pletcher who will also saddle grey Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns, the only unbeaten horse in the race.
Only Brad Cox has more runners with four, of which impressive Arkansas Derby winner Angel Of Empire and Verifying are considered strong candidates for the trainer whose horse Mandaloun was awarded the 2021 Kentucky Derby on the disqualification of the Bob Baffert trained Medina Spirit.
UAE Derby first Derma Sotogake and Mandarin Hero represent Japanese stables, seeking to scale another international peak having broken through in the Breeders’ Cup in 2021. Mandarin Hero was one of three horses to be added to the field after three horses were scratched.
Here are this year’s runners and riders with Wiliam Hill odds
Hit Show 25-1
Jockey: Manuel Franco
Trainer: Brad H Cox
Verifying 14-1
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Trainer: Brad H Cox
Two Phil’s 18-1
Jockey: Jareth Loveberry
Trainer: Larry Rivelli
Confidence Game 20-1
Jockey: James Graham
Trainer: J Keith Desormeaux
Tapit Trice 6-1
Jockey: Luis Saez
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Kingsbarns 12-1
Jockey: Jose L Ortiz
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Reincarnate 40-1
Jockey: John R Velazquez
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Mage 16-1
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Skinner: Non Runner
Disarm 33-1
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jace’s Road 50-1
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Trainer: Brad H Cox
Sun Thunder 50-1
Jockey: Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr
Trainer: Kenneth McPeek
Angel Of Empire 8-1
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Trainer: Brad H Cox
Forte 7-2
Jockey; Irad Ortiz
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Raise Cain 50-1
Jockey: Gerardo Corrales
Trainer: Ben Colebrook
Derma Sotogake 10-1
Jockey: Christophe-Patrice Lemaire
Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi
Rocket Can 50-1
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Trainer: William Mott
Cyclone Mischief 40-1
Jockey: TBC
Trainer: Dale Romans
Mandarin Hero 14-1
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura
Trainer: Terunobu Fujita
King Russell 50-1
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Trainer: Ronald Moquett
