Pedigree for 2019 Kentucky Derby Favorites: Game Winner, Roadster, Improbable, Tacitus & Maximum Security

• The 145th Kentucky Derby will be run just prior to 7:00 PM on Saturday, May 4th
• Several horses have emerged as favorites
• Looking at bloodlines can help in handicapping the race

When Lebron James Jr decides on a college (or goes straight to the NBA like his dad), people will be interested. In fact, coaches already are. While little LeBron may be a superstar, it is his dad’s Hall of Fame career that makes you perk up. Horse racing is all about lineage, as well. Champions breed champions.

Incredibly, almost all race horses come from the same background. Last year’s Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown-winner, Justify, is the son of Scat Daddy, who won four stakes races before being injured.

Two years ago, Always Dreaming won the Derby. His father, Bodemeister, finished second in Louisville before a runner-up performance in the Preakness Stakes. Always Dreaming’s grandpa Empire Maker won the Belmont.

Let’s look at this year’s top contenders and see what we can learn about their families.

2019 Kentucky Derby Favorites by Pedigree

Game Winner

Game Winner is a top contender to be the favorite at somewhere around 5/1. Dad Candy Ride was six for six in his career and has been even better in the breeding barn. He sired Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, and Shared Belief, a champion two-year-old who was injured before he could go to the Kentucky Derby, but went on to win the Pacific Classic.

Mom, Indyan Giving, never raced, but her dad AP Indy won the Breeders Cup Classic.

Roadster

Sporting odds around 13/2, Roadster may offer more value than Game Winner since he won when the two horses met in April (he lost the head-to-head matchup in September). Roadster’s dad, Quality Road, earned more than $2 million, and his granddad Elusive Quality sired Derby-winner Smarty Jones.

His mom, Ghost Dancing, went five for nine in her career.

Improbable

Also in the 6/1 range, Improbable finished a length behind Omaha Beach in the Arkansas Derby. Omaha Beach was probably going to be the favorite at the Kentucky Derby, but was injured this week.

Improbable started his career three for three, and comes from good stock. His dad, City Zip, won nine times and had an excellent career after racing. Improbable’s mom, Rare Event, won four races, and her dad is the same as Game Winner’s grandpa, AP Indy.

Tacitus

It is easy to understand why Tacitus is quick and getting a lot of action around 15/2. His dad, the breathtaking Tapit, has been the leading sire in America three times, producing horses like Frosted, Tonalist, and Untapable. In 2013 and 2014, Tacitus’s mom, Close Hatches, dominated racing among the girls, winning seven pricey stakes races. There is lots of class in Tacitus’ genes.

Maximum Security

You’ll also get roughly 15/2 on Maximum Security, but his blood lines are less battle tested. There were high hopes for his dad, New Years Day, but after two wins in three races as a two year old, including the Breeders Cup Juvenile, he was injured and forced to retire.

He hasn’t produced a ton of elite horses. Lil Indy, Maximum Security’s mom, was just 2/19 in her career. That’s how you get a horse that was offered up for sale for $16,000 early in his career. Grandfather Street Cry won the Dubai World Cup.