Kentucky Derby Morning Line Favorites:
Mike Battaglia has been Churchill Downs’ morning line odds maker for 46 years since 1974. The 2020 Kentucky Derby will mark oddsmaker Mike Battaglia’s 47th year assigning morning line odds to the Kentucky Derby field.
Sunrise at Churchill Downs – Courtesy of Churchill Downs/Coady Photography.
Morning line odds, which are odds given to horses in a race prior to the start of betting as a prediction how the linemaker thinks the public will bet and are assigned at post position draw.
Battaglia has correctly predicted the Derby favorite at a 78 percent clip and is 36-for-46.
Morning line odds were first published in the official Kentucky Derby Day program in 1949, though records prior to 1949 are incomplete.
Battaglia’s winning morning-line favorites, since his first year in 1974:
Justify, 2018: 3-1 2.90-1
Nyquist, 2016 3-1 2.30-1
American Pharoah, 2015 5-2 2.90-1
California Chrome, 2014 5-2 2.50-1
Orb, 2013 7-2 5.40-1
Big Brown, 2008 3-1 2.40-1
Fusaichi Pegasus, 2000 9-5 2.30-1
Spectacular Bid, 1979 3-5 0.60-1
Seattle Slew, 1977 1-2 0.50-1
Foolish Pleasure, 1975 9-5 1.90-1
Cannonade/Judger,1974 8-5 1.50-1
Pre-Battaglia morning line favorites to have won, 1949-1973
Secretariat/Angle Light, 1973 1-1 1.50-1
Riva Ridge, 1972 9-5 1.50-1
Majestic Prince, 1969 7-5 1.40-1
Carry Back, 1961 5-2 2.50-1
Tim Tam, 1958 8-5 2.10-1
Needles, 1956 2-1 1.60-1
Hill Gail/Top Blend, 1952 6-5 1.10-1
Kentucky Derby 2020 Morning Line odds and Post Positions
The Draw will be held on September 1st at 10:45 ET.
Related: A Most Surprising Derby: Canonero II’s ‘Derbygate’ of 1971
Kentucky Derby Field:
| Horse | Trainers | Jockey |
|---|---|---|
| Tiz the Law | Barclay Tagg | Manny Franco |
| Authentic | Bob Baffert | John Velazquez |
| Art Collector | Tom Drury | Brian Hernandez, Jr. |
| Honor A.P. | John Sherriffs | Mike Smith |
| Ny Traffic | Saffie Joseph, Jr | Paco Lopez |
| King Guillermo | Juan Carlos Avilla | Samy Camacho |
| Thousand Words | Bob Baffert | Florent Geroux |
| Money Moves | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano |
| Max Player | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana, Jr. |
| Enforceable | Mark Casse | Adam Beschizza |
| Major Fed | Greg Foley | James Graham |
| Storm the Court | Peter Eurton | Julien Leparoux |
| Attachment Rate | Dale Romans | Joe Talamo |
| Sole Volante | Patrick Biancone | Luca Panici |
| Finnick the Fierce | Rey Hernandez | Martin Garcia |
| Winning Impression | Dallas Stewart | Joe Rocco, Jr. |
| Necker Island | Chris Hartman | Miguel Mena |
Miriam Lee has always been a horse racing fan thanks to trips to the tracks in her home state of Maryland with her father as kid. She owns an OTTB and is an advocate for promoting the sport among her peers. Miriam studies communication arts at Hood College and will receive her master’s degree in 2021, which she plans to use for a career in screenwriting. Her all-time favorite racehorse is Man O War.