Kentucky Derby 2017 odds: Morning line released

The 2017 Kentucky Derby morning line odds were set by Mike Battaglia on Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs, with Classic Empire given the slight edge at 4-1 over a pair of strong rivals. Following up at 5-1 are both Always Dreaming and McCraken.

Odds for all the 20-horse field contenders for the $2 million, 1-1/4-mile race follow. The Kentucky Derby will go to post at 6:46 p.m. on Saturday. NBC will televise the fastest two minutes in sports, with NBC Sports Live Extra providing live streaming coverage.

Classic Empire, with Julien Leparoux jockeying and trained by Mark Casse, will start from the 14th gate on Saturday. The 3-year-old colt has had a bit of an up-and-down year. He won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race last November but has raced just twice in 2017 after a foot abscess. He finished third behind a pair of fellow Derby contenders — Irish War Cry and Gunnerva — in February, but looked strong in earning a victory at the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby last month to gain back any doubters.

Always Dreaming, who OddsShark listed as the unofficial favorite as recently as Tuesday, will start from the fifth gate. Always Dreaming, jockeyed by John Velazquez and trained by Todd Pletcher, set a blistering pace at the Grade 1 Florida Derby last month.

McCraken, jockeyed by Brian Hernandez and trained by Ian Wilkes, has one win in 2017 at the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes in Tampa in February. He finished second at the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes in April, however. He’ll break from the 15th gate on Saturday.

Irish War Cry has been set at 6-1 in the morning line odds, becoming the only other entrant in single digits. He finished ahead of Classic Empire at the Grade 2 Holy Bull in February. He will start 17th on Saturday and will be jockeyed by Rajiv Maragh and trained by Graham Motion.

Four others have been given 15-1 odds — Girvin, Hence, Gunnevera, and Gormley.

Here are the complete post position gates and odds for the 143rd Run for the Roses: