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They call it the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports for nothing. The Kentucky Derby brings excitement to sports fans — and bettors alike — like no other event does. As the first leg of the Triple Crown, the race at Churchill Downs is always going to attract a ton of attention. With that said, it's time for us to check out a preview of some of the horses and our pick to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby.
2022 Kentucky Derby Odds
Courtesy of FanDuel (via TVG), here are the 2022 Kentucky Derby odds.
Mo Donegal 10-1
Happy Jack 30-1
Epicenter 7-2
Summer Is Tomorrow 30-1
Smile Happy 20-1
Messier 8-1
Crown Pride 20-1
Charge It 20-1
Tiz the Bomb 30-1
Zandon 3-1
Pioneer of Medina 30-1
Taiba 12-1
Simplification 20-1
Barber Road 30-1
White Abarrio 10-1
Cyberknife 20-1
Classic Causeway 30-1
Tawny Port 30-1
Zozos 20-1
Ethereal Road 30-1
Rich Strike 30-1
Rattle N Roll 30-1
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2022 Kentucky Derby favorites odds
Zandon (3-1). It's not hard to see why Zandon is getting a ton of attention compared to the rest of the field at the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Owned by Jeff Drown, Zandon has never felt how it's like not to finish inside the top three of a race. In four career races, Zandon has finished first twice; it broke maiden right in its very first race, which was at Belmont, and won its most recent one, at the Grade 1 Blue Stakes at Keeneland, overcoming a poor start to seal the deal with a 1 1/8 m lead. The 100 points Zandon notched from that performance allowed it to book a ticket to Churchill Downs for the first leg of the 2022 Triple Crown.
Epicenter (7-2). Trained by Steven M. Asmussen, Epicenter has the look — and resume — of a potential Triple Crown winner. This three-year-old colt is coming off a win at the Grade 2 stakes Louisiana Derby. That victory further showed that Epicenter is ready for the biggest show of them all. Before the Louisiana Derby, Epicenter had already won three races, which were the Grade 2 Risen Star and the Gun Runner. It is also worth noting here that Epicenter broke maiden at Churchill Downs last November.
Messier (8-1). If you guessed that Messier is named after THAT Mark Messier, then you're right. And if this colt also has the same thirst for success as the former New York Rangers star has, then what a performance it would have this Saturday at Churchill Downs. Messier has six races under its belt, and it's not finished worse than runner-up in any of them. It won its first race on its second try and then followed it up with another victory at the Grade 3 Bob Hope at Del Mar.
After winning the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis race at Santa Anita Park, Messier fell short of scoring another big triumph when it placed second — behind fellow Kentucky Derby entry, Taiba — at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last April. What makes Messier even more tempting to bet on is the fact that it will be saddled by John Velasquez, who is no stranger to success at the Run for the Roses. Velasquez won the Kentucky Derby three times already, with the latest being with Authentic in 2020.
2022 Kentucky Derby sleepers odds
Zozos (20-1). One of three horses by trainer Brad Cox in this edition o the Kentucky Derby, Zozos does seem to possess a big potential. After all, it has won three of four starts. It's coming off a second-place finish at the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, where it lost to Derby contender Epicenter after a strong start that saw it take the lead in the early goings. Cox is also the trainer of 2021 Kentucky Derby horse Mandaloun, who initially finished second in that race before eventually being declared the winner following the controversial disqualification of Medina Spirit.
Charge It (20-1). Like Zozos, Charge It appears to be lacking in experience as it only has raced three times so far. Nevertheless, there's plenty of promise for Charge It to be the surprise horse this Saturday. It is coming off a second-place performance at the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Charge It is also trained by Todd Pletcher, who's won five total Triple Crown leg wins, including a pair of Kentucky Derby races (2010, 2017).
Final 2022 Kentucky Derby Prediction & Pick
I'm going for value here. Charge It is relatively a mystery heading into this race, given its scant pre-Kentucky Derby activity. It has shown in all three races in its career and the hope is that it's going to hit its peak at the 2022 Kentucky Derby.
FINAL 2022 Kentucky Derby PREDICTION: Charge It (20-1)
