AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Bob Baffert looks on as Game Winner gets in a practice run ahead of the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
- On Saturday, 20 horses will step into the gates at Churchill Downs for the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby.
- Trainer Bob Baffert has three horses running in the Kentucky Derby - Game Winner, Roadster, and Improbable - with all three currently listed as favorites to win the race.
- While none of Baffert's horses have the dominant stature that Justify brought to the race last year, any one of the three could wind up winning the roses on Saturday.
- Follow all of our Kentucky Derby coverage here.
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The Kentucky Derby is the most exciting horse race of the year, and no person has more at stake at Churchill Downs this year than trainer Bob Baffert.
While fans fill the stands ahead of the race, placing their bets and sipping on mint juleps, Baffert will be making his final preparations with the three horses he has running in the Derby.
When post positions were drawn on Tuesday, Baffert's horses - Game Winner, Improbable, and Roadster - were all considered contenders, but it was Omaha Beach, trained by Richard Mandella, who was the morning-line favorite.
However, on Wednesday news broke that Omaha Beach would be forced to scratch from the race, creating a wide open Run for the Roses and suddenly making Baffert's three horses the favorites to win at Churchill Downs.
Baffert is already an icon in the thoroughbred racing world, having won five times at the Kentucky Derby already, including the past two Triple Crown winners in Justify and American Pharoah. This year, he has the chance to tie Ben Jones for the most trainer wins in Derby history.
According to Baffert, Justify was the clear favorite of the field in 2018, but this year is a much race.
"I think anyone could win it," Baffert told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "You have to get the trip, and the post is important. Last year we came in with Justify, and he was a man amongst boys, and American Pharoah. This year is different. With them, I knew I had the horse and felt like I needed a little luck. Now I've got three nice horses, and there's a lot of parity. It's wide open."
As Baffert notes, none of his three entrants this year come into the race with the dominant stature of Justify, but all three are potential winners on Saturday if the race breaks their way.
Below we break down the three horses Baffert has running in the Kentucky Derby.