Rachel Candelora's five for the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is the longest consecutive running sporting event in America and the 144th edition of the Run For the Roses at 11.34pm on Saturday looks to be a cracking renewal of the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.”

As usual there are storylines abound in this year’s Derby with four-times winner D. Wayne Lukas looking to become the oldest trainer at 82 to win this great race.

Dual winning-trainer Todd Pletcher has four runners this year in Audible, Magnum Moon, Vino Rosso and outsider Noble Indy and will break the record of overall Derby starters with 52 total runners during his career.

Both colts Justify and Magnum Moon are looking to break the “Curse of Apollo,” which states that no horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Derby without racing as a juvenile.

Will Aidan O’Brien produce the first ever European-trained winner of the Kentucky Derby with Mendelssohn? Will Good Magic become only the third Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to go on to win the Derby? The jockey saga of Bolt D’Oro continues as three-times Derby winner Victor Espinoza picks up this valuable spare ride, and onwards as every horse, jockey, owner, and trainer has a story.

As usual I have narrowed down the full Kentucky Derby field to five hopefuls who are listed below with Justify being my top selection.

Justify – jockey - Mike Smith; trainer - Bob Baffert at 4-1:

Career record: three starts – three wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Justify glides over the dirt track at Churchill (Penelope Miller/ABR)

Trained by four-times Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, this son of Scat Daddy is undefeated in three career starts, which includes a romp in the Grade One Santa Anita Derby when beating winter favorite Bolt D’Oro.

Justify has a versatile run style and has handled a sloppy track, which, given the Louisville weather forecast, is a possibility.

Also his draw of seven (see stats below) is absolutely perfect, as the two signed-on speed horses - Promises Fulfilled and Flameaway, have drawn to his inside and he should get a nice early tow through the race.

His hype and reputation have been huge since before he even set foot on a racetrack and if “Uncle Bob” is comfortable bringing such an inexperienced horse to the Derby then I am comfortable top-picking him. He is a horse who just has that presence about him– and his barn nickname is “Big Red” – the same as Secretariat!

Magnum Moon – jockey: Luis Saez - trainer: Todd Pletcher at 8-1:

Career record: four starts – four wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Arkansas Derby winner Magnum Moon at Churchill (Penelope Miller/ABR)

One of the Todd Pletcher quartet running in Saturday's Derby, he, too, is lightly raced and yet undefeated in four career starts, including his final prep in the Grade One Arkansas Derby.

This son of Malibu Moon, who sired Kentucky Derby winner Orb, also has a versatile run style and has posted a really impressive work over the Churchill Downs surface last Sunday.

Mendelssohn – jockey: Ryan Moore - trainer Aidan O'Brien at 9-2:

Career record: seven starts – four wins – one second – 0 thirds

Arguably one of the best chances that Europe has brought to the Kentucky Derby since Arazi in 1992.

He showed that he obviously handles the dirt in Dubai but the worry is that he rode the golden rail on a heavily speed biased track and he got his own way, which he will not realistically be able to do on Saturday.

Audible – jockey: Javier Castellano; trainer: Todd Pletcher at 6-1:

Career record: five starts – four wins – 0 seconds – one third

Audible is one of four Todd Peltcher trainees in the race (Penelope Miller/ABR)

Another Todd Pletcher trainee who has won the statistically best prep for the Derby with his sweep to win the Grade One Florida Derby by three lengths.

The Florida Derby has produced the winner of the Kentucky Derby in three of the last five years.

Jockey Javier Castellano has chosen to get off of Bold D’Oro to ride Audible in his quest for a first Derby success and he has previous with this son of Into Mischief as he has ridden him to two of his four career victories.

Vino Rosso – jockey: John Velazquez - trainer: Todd Pletcher at 20-1:

Career record: five starts – three wins – 0 seconds – one third

Vino Rosso has a great chance of being in the first three at 20-1 (Penelope Miller/ABR)

The third of the Todd Pletcher-trained runners on my list, however I do not think he has a realistic chance of winning the Derby but I see him finishing in the frame.

This son of Curlin is one of the most likely stayers in the race – I can see him winning the Belmont in five weeks, and he will be staying on strongly at the end and therefore I will be using him in my exotic bets.

The way I always play the Derby is to box these top five selections into exactas, trifectas, and superfectas, as if you hit any of the Derby exotics the pools are so big that even if all favorites come in, the payout is bigger than normal – besides this is the sort of race that you “go big or go home.”

Ahead of the race I would compare the British fixed-odds bookmakers and the US Tote prices and play were the best value is as most British bookmakers allow you to bet into the American pools – for instance if you want to back Mendelssohn, probably doing it in the US pools would get you a better price as he is understandably a shorter price in the UK.