Meet the 2016 Kentucky Derby Contenders

We are just over two months away from the first Saturday of May and the two most exciting minutes in sports, the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, and the wagering has already begun at the sportsbooks.

Here is a look at the top three betting choices in the latest 2016 Kentucky Derby odds released by online sportsbook Bodog - Mohaymen, Nyquist, and Mor Spirit lead the way on the list.

Mohaymen is the 7-2 early betting favorite at Bodog for the 2016 Kentucky Derby and his price could be shorter by this weekend as he will be the heavy favorite in Saturday’s $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The colt is perfect in his four career starts and has seen his price drop consistently since last fall after he won the Nashua (G2) at Aqueduct in his stakes debut. He followed that up with a victory in the Remsen (G2) to complete his juvenile season perfect in three starts.

He returned off a two-month break to dominate in the Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream Park and will be a very short price facing five foes in the Fountain of Youth. If all goes well, he likely would make his final start before the Kentucky Derby in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on April 2.

Nyquist was the early Kentucky Derby betting favorite at Bodog last fall after his win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), his fifth consecutive victory, but was relegated to second choice at 7-1 after spending 3 ½ months on the sidelines.

The Doug O’Neill trainee returned in fine fashion, taking the San Vicente (G2) on Feb. 15 and he looks like a major danger on the first Saturday of May.

His next start likely will come in the Florida Derby where it is possible he could have an early showdown with Mohaymen.

Mor Spirit is starting to get some attention and is now the third choice in early Kentucky Derby betting at Bodog at odds of 10-1. The colt has won three of his last five starts and his last two wins were impressive.

He capped off his juvenile campaign last December by winning the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) and returned on Feb. 6 to win the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita in his first start as a three-year-old.

The talented colt is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who won the Triple Crown last year with American Pharoah. His next start is likely to come in the San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita on March 12.

Handicapper Michael Dempsey provides his full card analysis for Gulfstream Park daily and selections for all the major Kentucky Derby prep races at turfnsport.com.