The field for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday looks unusually strong. The winners of all the major prep races are expected to start, and few top contenders have dropped out with an injury. The draw is Wednesday, but here is an early look at the major players, ranked in approximate order from contender to pretender.
Dortmund is a colt who seems to be able to do no wrong. He has won all six of his races, every one of them as a favorite. In his past two starts, he faced the best in the West and ran them off the racetrack with wire-to-wire wins in the San Felipe and California’s biggest prep race, the Santa Anita Derby.