Kentucky Derby 145 Handicapping

The first leg of the Triple Crown will take place on Saturday with the 145th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1). A field of 19 sophomores is entered in one of the more competitive editions of the Run for the Roses in recent years.

Conditioner Bob Baffert has saddled five Kentucky Derby winners including Triple Crown stars American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). The 2009 Hall of Fame inductee comes into Churchill Downs this year with a stout three-pronged attack of champion Game Winner, Santa Anita Derby (G1) victor Roadster, and Grade 1 standout Improbable.

The lightly raced ROADSTER (#17) (6-1) showed his versatility when taking back and rallying in the stretch past Game Winner in the Santa Anita Derby to notch his biggest victory to date. The gray son of Quality Road has been a much-hyped horse since his debut and he looks to be peaking at the right time. $525,000 yearling is a light-framed colt, so drawing outside is an ideal slot for him and it fits his running style, as well.

Roadster has displayed ample early foot to this point of his career, and he could conceivably get an ideal voyage within striking range while clear throughout beneath Florent Geroux. The colt shows a pair of strong six-furlong works to ready for the Kentucky Derby and he will be fully fit third time off of the layoff.

Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) winner CODE OF HONOR (#13) (15-1) has a lot of longshot appeal for conditioner Shug McGaughey. A colt who flashed brilliance at two when finishing second in the Champagne Stakes (G1), the son of Noble Mission was unplaced in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in his 2019 debut. He quickly reversed form, however, making a swift move in early stretch en route to his Fountain of Youth triumph.

The Kentucky-bred was a non-factor third in the Florida Derby (G1) in his most recent race that was a better effort than it appears to be on paper. The Will Farish homebred was never getting to the winner, but he did close well into a dawdling pace in what might be the ideal tune-up prior to the Run for the Roses.

Code of Honor is a versatile type that will benefit from his post position. Drawn inside of him are the speedy Omaha Beach and one-run closer Haikal, which will allow John Velazquez to break in and save ground into the first turn while stalking the tempo. The colt has reportedly been training in superb fashion of late, which includes a brisk half- mile breeze at Churchill Downs on Sunday.

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