Justify Early Betting Odds: Is The Kentucky Derby Winner The Favorite To Win The Preakness And Triple Crown?

Under sloppy conditions, undefeated chestnut colt Justify on Saturday captured the 144th Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths. The victory ended the 136-year-old "Curse of Apollo," as Justify became the first 3-year-old who did not run as a 2-year-old to win the Derby.

Justify entered the race as a 13/4 favorite and won the race under a long day of rain, defeating the field of 20 with a time of 2:04.20.

The victory earned Mike Smith, the 52-year-old Hall of Famer, the title of "second oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby." In 1986, 54-year-old Willie Shoemaker became the oldest jockey ever to win the Derby.

Justify's win also means trainer Bob Baffert now has five Kentucky Derby titles. After the race, Baffert said Justify was a particularly special horse.

“The first time I worked him, I thought he was really special then after his maiden win, I thought we had something really, really special,” Baffert said. “I was just in awe of the performance. He just put himself up there with the greats.”

It wasn't just Baffert who was singing Justify's praises. Dan Wolken of USA Today wrote on Saturday that "Justify looked like a superhorse-in-waiting."

The question now moves to whether Justify can win the Preakness and the Triple Crown.

According to betting site Bovada.lv, Justify has +300 odds of winning the Triple Crown and -500 odds of not winning the Triple Crown. But Justify is the clear favorite (+150) to win the Preakness Stakes, which will take place on May 19.

The last Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, was trained by Baffert.

Preakness Betting Odds (Bovada.lv)

Justify, +150

Audible, +450

Good Magic, +650

Magnum Moon, +1,400

Bolt Doro, +1,600

Runaway Ghost, +1,600

Greyvitos, +1,600

Telekinesis, +1,800

Vino Rosso, +2,200

Machismo, +2,200

Diamond King, +2,500

Mendelssohn, +2,500

My Boy Jack, +2,500

Solomini, +3,300

Hofburg, +3,300

Noble Indy, +3,300