2022 KENTUCKY DERBY CONTENDERS & ODDS

Affectionately known as the Run for the Roses and sitting proudly among the top horse races in the world, the Grade One Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing.

The the 148th renewal of "fastest two minutes in sports" takes place on Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs in Louisville and below you will see information relating to each of the entries for 2022.

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ZANDON 3-1 MORNING-LINE FAVORITE FOR 148th KENTUCKY DERBY

Jeff Drown's Zandon, authoritative winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (GI) in his most recent start, has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 20 horses plus two also-eligibles entered for Saturday's 148th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).

The winner's share for Derby 148 will be $1,860,000.

The Kentucky Derby, with live coverage provided by NBC from 2:30-7:30 p.m. (all times Eastern), will go as the 12th race on Saturday's 14-race program that features eight stakes. Post time for the Derby is 6:57 with first post time Derby Day being 10:30 a.m.

Trained by Chad Brown, Zandon notched his first stakes victory at Keeneland in the Blue Grass with Flavien Prat aboard for the first time. Prior to the Blue Grass, Zandon had finished third behind Epicenter in the Risen Star. Prat will be seeking a second Derby victory to go with Country House in 2019. He and Zandon will break from post position 10.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Epicenter broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in his second start last November and this winter dominated at Fair Grounds with a victory in the Gun Runner that was followed by a narrow defeat in the Lecomte (GIII).

Joel Rosario, who has been aboard for Epicenter's past three starts, has the call Saturday as he seeks a second Derby victory to go with the triumph aboard Orb in 2013. Epicenter will break from post position three.

Owned by the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable and Siena Farm, Messier is the third choice on the morning line at 8- 1.

Trained by Tim Yakteen, Messier enters the Derby off a runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby (GI). Messier will break from post position six under three-time Derby winner John Velazquez. Velazquez's Derby wins came with Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017) and Authentic (2020).

Yakteen also will send out Zedan Racing Stable's Taiba (12-1).

Winner of the Santa Anita Derby (GI) in just his second career start, Taiba will be trying to become the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby in just his third start since Leonatus in 1883. Taiba will break from post position 12 and be ridden by two-time Derby winner Mike Smith. Smith won the 2005 Run for the Roses on Giacomo and the 2018 renewal on Triple Crown winner Justify.

Co-fourth choices on the morning line at 10-1 are Donegal Racing's Wood Memorial (GII) winner Mo Donegal and C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio, winner of the Florida Derby (GI).

Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher, Mo Donegal will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and break from post position one.

Pletcher, who won the Derby in 2010 with Super Saver and in 2017 with Always Dreaming, will have two other starters in the race in Whisper Hill Farm's Charge It and Sumaya U. S. Stables' Pioneer of Medina.

Charge It (20-1), runner-up in the Florida Derby (GI) in his most recent start, will be ridden by Luis Saez and break from post position eight. Pioneer of Medina (30-1), third to Epicenter in the Louisiana Derby in his most recent start, will be ridden by Joe Bravo and break from post position 11.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., White Abarrio will break from post position 15 and be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

In addition to Pletcher, three other trainers will be trying to add to their Derby victory totals.

Two-time winner Doug O'Neill, trainer of I'll Have Another in 2012 and Nyquist in 2016, will send out Calumet Farm's Happy Jack (30-1). Rafael Bejarano has the mount and will break from post position two.

Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux, who teamed up to win the 2021 Derby with Mandaloun, are back with Gold Square's Arkansas Derby (GI) winner Cyberknife (20-1). Cyberknife will break from post position 16.

Cox will have two other entrants in the gate in Barry and Joni Butzow's Zozos (20-1) who will break from post position 19 under Manny Franco and Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port (30-1) who will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. and break from post position 18.

Four-time Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas will send out Julie Gilbert and Aaron Sones' Ethereal Road (30-1). Luis Contreras will be aboard and break from post position 20 as Ethereal Road attempts to join Winning Colors (1988), Thunder Gulch (1995), Grindstone (1996) and Charismatic (1999) as Lukas Derby winners.

2022 KENTUCKY DERBY POST POSITION DRAW QUOTES

MO DONEGAL (Post 1, 10-1), CHARGE IT (Post 8, 20-1), PIONEER OF MEDINA (Post 11, 30-1) - Trainer Todd Pletcher: "I think the new gate (which brings the inside horses farther off the rail) should work to Mo Donegal's advantage. He's got some experience in there; he just won the Wood Memorial from the one hole. He's used to having dirt in his face and I'd hope that Irad (Ortiz Jr.) could save some ground around that first turn and get us in a good spot. He's one of the few horses in my barn that I think could handle a spot like that. The other two - Charge It and Pioneer of Medina - I'm happy with their posts."

HAPPY JACK (Post 2, 30-1) - Trainer Doug O'Neill: "It is good. We're happy. I think that new gate makes it better for the horses inside. We remain optimistic."

EPICENTER (Post 3, 7-2) - Trainer Steve Asmussen: "It matches his favorite colors (referring to the Asmussen's barn color and saddle towel color of blue). Like any race, you want to get away nicely from the gate and go from there. How long he stands in there, how long it takes to load, 150,000 people staring at him - it's a lot. Joel is very confident in rhythm of the horse. So, if he is away cleanly Joel will let him be who he is."

SMILE HAPPY (Post 5, 20-1), TIZ THE BOMB (Post 9, 30-1) - Trainer Kenny McPeek: "I'm real pleased with both Smile Happy in the five and Tiz the Bomb in the nine. I wanted to be inside Zandon, and that happened. They'll be fine, in both their spots. In 2013, I had two starters, when I ran Frac Daddy (finished 16th) and Java's War (finished 13th)."

MESSIER (Post 6, 8-1), TAIBA (Post 12, 12-1) - Trainer Tim Yakteen: "They made us wait. (Messier and Taiba were among the last three horses chosen.) But in the end we drew well."

CROWN PRIDE (JPN) (Post 7, 20-1) - Trainer Koichi Shintani: "We're very happy with lucky number seven. And the Derby is on May 7."

ZANDON (Post 10, 3-1) - Trainer Chad Brown: "Perfect. We're ready to go."

BARBER ROAD (Post 14, 30-1) - Trainer John Oritz: "I'm very happy with the post. I don't feel like I have any pressure on me. Barber Road and (jockey) Reylu (Gutierrez) have to do all the running. I think being out towards the middle of the racetrack gives us a good chance to see how the race shapes up going into the first turn. From there, we just have to navigate through traffic and Barber Road and Reylu have to do their job."

WHITE ABARRIO (Post 15, 10-1) - Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.: "Everything's good so far, we like our post. We're very thankful for where we drew. It's a good spot, most definitely, now he just has to break well and run his race."

CYBERKNIFE (Post 16, 20-1), TAWNY PORT (Post 18, 30-1), ZOZOS (Post 19, 20-1) - Trainer Brad Cox: "I'm happy with all three draws. I think with the Derby starting at the head of the stretch, and a quarter of a mile to the first turn, they'll be able to get into position."