For fans of horse racing worldwide, nothing is quite like the first Saturday of May every year.  On this day, patrons dressed in their fancy attire shuffle into the stands at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky to watch some of the world’s greatest three-year-old equine athletes battle it out in a 1 1/4 mile (ten furlong) dirt race.  The action lasts about only two minutes, but a combination of the anticipation and fun before the race, the thrill of the action during the race, and the celebration of the winner creating a legacy after the race truly makes the Kentucky Derby so special.

This year’s race will be the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby and the purse is $2 million guaranteed.  The Derby is the first race of three in the Triple Crown, with the other two Triple Crown races being the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. 

Since all three races are held annually and are open only to three-year-old colts/geldings and fillies, any given horse has only one opportunity to compete in each race.  It is a huge accomplishment to win any of the three historic races, but a horse that can win all three races to be deemed a Triple Crown Champion doesn’t come along very often.  

There are several horses that have won two of the three races, but only eleven horses in history have ever accomplished the feat of winning all three races, with the last Triple Crown winner being Affirmed in 1978.  This makes winning the Triple Crown one of the most coveted and exclusive honors in all of sports, and the first step towards earning it is winning the Kentucky Derby.

While all the activities surrounding the Kentucky Derby are filled with fun and excitement, this year’s race is certainly one to watch because there are several strong three-year-old contenders that are certainly capable of winning the Kentucky Derby and making a possible run for the first Triple Crown in 37 years.

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International Star:

In terms of overall season points, International Star leads all Kentucky Derby competitors with 171 points, which is one point ahead of Dortmund with 170.  International Star has five wins in nine career starts, including wins in his last three races, which were all Graded races.  International Star has beaten some of his fellow Kentucky Derby competitors, including Stanford in their last match-up and War Story in their last three match-ups.  International Star is owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, who have won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner four times, and trained by Mike Maker, who worked with past Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic.

Dortmund:

Trained by three time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert, Dortmund will enter the Kentucky Derby undefeated in six races and second overall in season points.  Dortmund has shown a will to win in close situations down the stretch, including two straight races (Los Alamitos Futurity and Robert B. Lewis) where he held off fellow Derby competitor Firing Line to win by a head.  In his last three races, Dortmund has also improved his Beyer Speed Figure every race, including a 106 rating in his last outing at the Santa Anita Derby.  Dortmund is owned by Kaleem Shah, Inc.  

Carpe Diem: 

No. 3 overall in season points, Carpe Diem has won in four of his five career starts, with his only loss being the runner-up at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.  Carpe Diem has won his last two races by a combined eight lengths, which include the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.  Carpe Diem has also proven he can perform well after traveling, considering that his five career races have taken place at four separate race tracks.  Carpe Diem is owned by Winstar Farm and Stonestreet Stables and is trained by Todd Pletcher, who worked with Derby champion Super Saver and has won the Eclipse Award for Top Trainer seven times.

American Pharoah: 

He may not be undefeated like Dortmund and No. 4 in season points, but American Pharoah has plenty of reasons to be considered one of the favorites come Saturday.  American Pharoah has not lost since he broke his maiden in September and won the title of American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse at the Eclipse Awards last year.  He has also won three Grade I races and one Grade II race by a combined 22¼ lengths.  American Pharoah, who is owned by Zayat Stables and is also trained by Bob Baffert, has not run the ten furlong distance of the Kentucky Derby, but he won the nine furlong Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park by eight lengths in his last start.

Frosted:

With only two wins in seven career races at four different tracks, Frosted might not be seen as one of the favorites in this race even though he is No. 5 overall in the season standings.  With that said, Frosted also has four second place finishes, with two of those finishes coming in Grade II races.  In addition, Frosted is coming off a win in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct.  Frosted is owned by Godolphin Racing and is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who worked with former Breeders’ Cup Classic and 2007 Dubai World Cup winner Invasor.

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Mubtaahij:

It took No. 6 ranked Mubtaahij until his third career race to break his maiden, but he has lost only once in four races since then.  Mubtaahij has made his mark at Meydan-UAE in Dubai, considering that all the races he has won have been run at that particular track.  His most notable win was his last win, the nine-furlong  UAE Derby, where he won by eight lengths.  The Kentucky Derby will be Mubtaahij’s first career race in the United States.  Mubtaahij is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and is trained by Mike de Kock, who has been named the National Champion Trainer in South Africa eight times.

Materiality: 

Like Dortmund, No. 7 ranked Materiality will enter the starting gate on Saturday undefeated.  He has raced in only three career races, which were all raced this year, but he has obtained 100 season points like Mubtaahij.  Materiality has won his three career races by a combined 11½ lengths, including a win at the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.  Materiality also has improved his Beyer Speed Figure every race and has beaten some of his Kentucky Derby competitors, including Upstart and Stanford.  Materiality is owned by Alto Racing and is trained by Todd Pletcher.

El Kabeir:

While he only has four wins in nine career starts, El Kabeir has finished in the money eight times, including his last six races.  He sits eighth overall in the season standings and he has three graded stakes victories, including the Gotham Stakes and Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.  In his last race at the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, El Kabeir went off at 11-5 odds and finished third to fellow Kentucky Derby competitors Frosted and Tencendur.  El Kabeir is owned by Zayat Stables and is trained by John Terranova II, who worked with past Aqueduct Handicap (now Evening Attire Stakes) winner Star of Valor.

Upstart: 

Although Upstart has won three races in seven starts, he has never finished outside the money in his career and ranks No. 9 in season points.  One of Upstart’s wins came in the Holy Bull Stakes, and he would have had another win at the Fountain of Youth Stakes but was disqualified and moved to second place after a steward’s inquiry.  Upstart defeated fellow Kentucky Derby competitor Frosted in the Holy Bull Stakes, but Upstart lost to Materiality in the Grade I Florida Derby and placed third behind Texas Red (not competing in the Derby) and Carpe Diem in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.  Upstart is owned by Ralph Evans and is trained by Rick Violette Jr., who has worked with several Graded Stakes winners.

Far Right:

With eight finishes in the money in nine career races, Far Right has certainly shown consistency and ranks No. 10 in season points, but less than half of those eight finishes put Far Right into the winner’s circle.  Far Right’s only Graded Stakes victory came during the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in February.  Far Right has fallen to fellow Derby competitors American Pharoah and Ocho Ocho Ocho, but Far Right has also finished better than Mr. Z three times when they’ve both finished in the money in the same race.  Far Right is owned by Harry T. Rosenblum & Robert V. LaPenta and is trained by Ron Moquett, who worked with 2013 Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint third place finisher Gentlemen’s Bet.

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Itsaknockout:

Ranked No. 11 in the season standings, Itsaknockout has competed in four races and won three of them.  His only Graded Stakes victory came during the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in February when he finished the race second, but was moved to first after the steward’s inquiry that cost Upstart the win.  The latest race for Itsaknockout ended with a fourth place finish at the Florida Derby.  The Kentucky Derby will be Itsaknockout’s first race outside of Gulfstream Park.  Itsaknockout is owned by Starlight Racing and is trained by Todd Pletcher.

Firing Line:

There would be no better time for No. 12 ranked Firing Line to finally beat Dortmund than in the Kentucky Derby.  In five career races across four different tracks, Firing Line has two wins and three second place finishes.  In two of those three second place finishes, Firing Line lost to undefeated Dortmund by a head.  Firing Line will enter the Kentucky Derby off a dominant 14¼ length win at the Sunland Derby at Sunland Park in March.  Firing Line is owned by Arnold Zetcher and is trained by Simon Callaghan, who credits trainers like Todd Pletcher, Richard Hannon, and his own father Neville Callaghan for helping him learn the art of training race horses.

Danzig Moon:      

Even with one win in five career starts, Danzig Moon ranks No. 13 overall in the season standings with 45 points.  Danzig Moon has placed outside the money two times, but he finished fourth in both instances.  His only win came in February when he broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park and his only finish in the money during a Graded Stakes race was in his last outing at the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland when he finished second three lengths back of Carpe Diem.  Danzig Moon is owned by John C. Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, who has won the Sovereign Award for Canada’s top trainer seven times.

War Story:     

One of the main rivalries of this year’s Kentucky Derby will be War Story, who is ranked No. 14 in the season standings, against International Star.  In War Story’s last three starts, International Star was in the race and won all of them while War Story came in second twice and third place once.  Before that set of races, War Story won the first two races of his career.  In five career starts, War Story has never finished outside the money, but it has been nearly half a year since War Story was last in the winner’s circle in December when he won an eight furlong race at Fair Grounds.  The trip to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby will be the first for War Story since he broke his maiden in his first career start at the track back in November.  War Story is owned by Christopher T. Dunn and Loooch Racing Stable, Inc. and is currently trained by Tom Amoss, who has won over 2,500 races in his career. 

Tencendur:

Ranked No. 15 in the season standings with 41 points, Tencendur has won one race in his five race career, but he has never finished outside the top five in any of his races.  His lone win came in January during his second career race.  Since that victory, Tencendur has finished fourth and fifth in two Grade III races and second in his only Grade I race at the Wood Memorial Stakes in early April.  The Kentucky Derby will be Tencendur’s first race outside of Aqueduct.  Tencendur is owned by Philip S. Birsh and is trained by George Weaver, who trained Saratoga County to victory in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Stanford:

He has never won a Graded Stakes race, but No. 16 ranked Stanford has won two races in five career starts at four separate tracks.  In both of his last two races, which are also the two races in Stanford’s career where he placed second, he lost to a competitor he will face in the Kentucky Derby (International Star and Materiality).  Stanford has also had an unstable first five races as he has been ridden by three different jockeys and his worst finish, a sixth place, came in a Graded Stakes race.  Stanford is owned by Stonestreet Stables LLC (Barbara Banke), Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith and is trained by Todd Pletcher.

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Mr. Z:

With 34 points, No. 17 ranked Mr. Z has finished in the money nine times in twelve career races, but he has only one win, which came in his first career race at Churchill Downs in June.  Since then, Mr. Z has four second place finishes, four third place finishes, two fifth place finishes, and a ninth place finish.  All but one of the races Mr. Z has competed in since he broke his maiden have been Graded Stakes races.  In four of his last five races, Mr. Z has finished in third place, including in his last start in the Arkansas Derby.  In his last six races, Mr. Z has raced in events where the winner turned out to be a horse that Mr. Z will face in the Kentucky Derby.  The Derby will be Mr. Z’s first race at Churchill Downs since September when he finished fifth in the Iroquois Stakes.  Mr. Z is owned by Zayat Stables and is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who has trained four Kentucky Derby winners and a record 14 Triple Crown race winners.

Ocho Ocho Ocho:  

With only 30 points and a No. 18 ranking, Ocho Ocho Ocho might not seem like a quality horse, but his records show otherwise.  He has won three races in his five career starts, including a Grade III victory during the Delta Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs in November.  Ocho Ocho Ocho finished eighth in the San Felipe Stakes in March, but he came back in his last start to finish third behind fellow Kentucky Derby competitors Carpe Diem and Danzig Moon in the Blue Grass Stakes.  The Derby will be Ocho Ocho Ocho’s first visit to Churchill Downs.  Ocho Ocho Ocho is owned by DP Racing and is trained by Jim Cassidy, who has his own stable in California.

Bolo:

Tied with Ocho Ocho Ocho with 30 points, No. 19 ranked Bolo has two wins and four finishes in the money in five career races.  Bolo’s first three career races took place on turf, which is the surface on which Bolo earned his two career wins, before turning to dirt, where he has finished third in his last two starts.  Bolo’s last two starts are his only experiences in Graded Stakes races, so the Derby will be Bolo’s third Graded Stakes race and second straight Grade I race.  Bolo has stayed in southern California his entire career up to this point, with all five of his career races taking place at Del Mar or Santa Anita, so the Kentucky Derby will be the first race for Bolo outside California.  Bolo is owned by Golden Pegasus Racing Inc. & Mack and is trained by Carla Gaines, who will try this year to become the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.

Keen Ice:

Rounding out the top 20 horses that qualify for the Kentucky Derby points-wise is Keen Ice with 22 points.  Keen Ice has been struggling early in his career, with one win in seven starts and finishing out of the money in four races.  His last win came at Churchill Downs, but that was in September.  His last finish in the money was a third-place finish in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in February.  Keen Ice has been ridden by five different jockeys, but has still been beaten by fellow Kentucky Derby competitors including International Star, War Story, Stanford, Upstart, Carpe Diem, Frosted, and Mr. Z throughout his first seven races.  Keen Ice is owned by Donegal Racing and is trained by Dale Romans, who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile in 2011 with Court Vision.

[NOTE: Stanford has been scratched from the Derby and replaced by Frammento. El Kabeir has also been scratched.]

Reach Staff Reporter James McDaniels here.