Kentucky Derby horses 2017: Classic Empire slight favorite in an even field

The 2017 Kentucky Derby is just days away, so we know most of what we need to know ahead of the $2 million, 1-1/4-mile “fastest two minutes in sports” at Churchill Downs. The finishing order is a little harder to predict this year, with a 4-1 favorite, two 5-1 colts behind him, and another at 6-1, and another crop of four horses hoping to break through the ceiling of 15-1 odds further down.

Classic Empire, with a good pedigree, good connections, and a gritty victory about a month ago, was tabbed the 4-1 favorite by odds maker Mike Battaglia following the post position draw on Wednesday. But that doesn’t mean he’ll just run away from the field. You can find pretty good reasons to bet on Always Dreaming, McCraken, or Irish War Cry, too. Add to that weather could play a factor if the expected rains create a wet track, and anything could happen in the 143rd Run to the Roses.

You can tune in on NBC on Saturday afternoon to watch the undercard, with the Kentucky Derby main event set for 6:46 p.m. ET. Stream it live online at NBC Sports Live Extra. And be sure to follow along here at SB Nation all day as well.

Here are four favorite and four sleepers to know ahead of the big race.

Classic Empire, by Pioneerof the Nile out of Sambuca Classica, enters as the 4-1 morning line favorite. He’ll be ridden by Julien Leparoux and is trained by Mark Casse. His key victories to date are in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November, and in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April.

Pioneerof the Nile, the 2009 Kentucky Derby runner-up, can forever claim his place in the history books by being sire of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Which sounds like a pretty good thing for Classic Empire until you consider no sire has had more than one Kentucky Derby winner in 15 years (per America’s Best Racing).

Classic Empire battled through injuries earlier but came out of the pack around the final turn and started to pull away on the front stretch in the Arkansas Derby and seems a strong pick to finish in the money no matter what.

As a bonus, Classic Empire has actually run on a wet track, and Louisville may still be drying out a bit after if the expected major rain storm goes through the area on Thursday and Friday.

If you’re looking for reason to bet on Always Dreaming, just scroll down a tad and watch what he did in the Florida Derby in April. He put up one of the fastest speeds in the Derby and has the credentials to win, easily. He’s been given 4-1 odds along with McCraken (more below) and will start from the fourth position.

Always Dreaming (by Bodemeister out of Above Perfection) will be jockeyed by John Velazquez and is trained by Todd Pletcher. So his connections are pretty strong, and his sire is a second-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby himself. The knock on Always Dreaming is that Pletcher has just one Kentucky Derby win. Maybe this one will be different.

McCraken, by Ghostzapper and out of Ivory Empress, also has 5-1 morning line odds. He will be ridden out of the 15th gate by Brian Hernandez Jr. and is trained by Ian Wilkes. He has raced just twice in 2017, neither in Grade 1 stakes, and won once. The victory was a track-record setting time in the 1-1/8-mile Sam F. Davis Stakes in February.

An ankle injury sidelined him a bit after that. But he’s also shown speed and good workouts, according to handicappers. And there’s little reason to discount him on account of being lightly raced.

Irish War Cry has beaten Classic Empire (just don’t ask about his Fountain of Youth start), as well as several other fellow Derby contenders. For that and other reasons he has 6-1 chances in the morning line odds. By Curlin, who has sired several strong progeny already such as 2016 Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, and out of Irish Sovereign, Irish War Cry certainly has a strong pedigree, too. He’ll be jockeyed out of the 17th gate by Rajiv Maragh and is trained by Graham Motion.

Gunnervera (15-1) starts from the 10th spot. He’s got jockey Javier Castellano riding and is trained by Antonio Sano. He has nine starts to his name, but only one win out of three made in 2017. That came in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in March. As the first crop of progeny sired by Dialed In, there’s not too much to go on yet on that front.

Hence (15-1), with Florent Geroux jockeying and Steve Asmussen training, is another just outside looking in. Hence will break from the eighth gate. If he were to win, it would by Asmussen’s first victory in the Derby.

Practical Joke (15-1), ridden by Joel Rosario and trained by Chad Brown, is another to watch. He has three wins in six starts, including two Grade 1 races, but this year has finished runner-up in his only two attempts.

Gormley (15-1) won at the 1-1/8-mile Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April, and has another derby at Santa Anita under his belt earlier in the year to go with it. He has Victor Espinoza as a jockey, and is trained by John Shirreffs.

Our friends at OddsShark have even more Kentucky Derby picks for you to enjoy. The entire Kentucky Derby field follows: