Kentucky Derby Horses 2022

Kentucky Derby 2022: Full Lineup, Favorites, and Sleepers

The Road to the Kentucky Derby

Horses earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate by accumulating points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The top 20 point earners qualify for the race. This year's Derby lineup is filled with horses from the Bluegrass State, but several have roots elsewhere in the country.

2022 Kentucky Derby Lineup

Here's a look at the full 2022 Kentucky Derby lineup along with the trainers and jockeys for each horse:

• **Epicenter** - Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario
• **Zandon** - Chad Brown, Flavien Prat
• **Messier** - Bob Baffert, John Velazquez
• **Cyberknife** - Brad Cox, Florent Geroux
• **Mo Donegal** - Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr.
• **Tiz the Bomb** - Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr.
• **White Abarrio** - Saffie Joseph Jr., Tyler Gaffalione
• **Smile Happy** - Kenny McPeek, Jose Ortiz
• **Taiba** - Bob Baffert, Mike Smith
• **Crown Pride** - Koichi Shintani, Christophe Lemaire
• **Simplification** - Antonio Sano, John Velazquez
• **Main Event** - Todd Pletcher, Joel Rosario
• **Pioneer of Medina** - Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr.
• **Howling Time** - Dale Romans, Rafael Bejarano
• **Barber Road** - John Ortiz, Reylu Gutierrez
• **Summer is Tomorrow** - Bhupat Seemar, Mickael Barzalona
• **Tawny Port** - Tim Hamm, Ricardo Santana Jr.
• **Skippylongstocking** - Saffie Joseph Jr., Paco Lopez
• **Ethereal Road** - D. Wayne Lukas, Luis Saez
• **Charge It** - Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez

Favorites and Sleepers

The two favorites for the 2022 Kentucky Derby are Epicenter and Zandon. Both horses have been impressive in their prep races and they are the ones to beat on paper.

However, there are several other horses who could be considered sleepers in the race. These horses include Messier, Cyberknife, and Mo Donegal. These horses all have the talent to win the Derby and they could surprise at a big price.

The 2022 Kentucky Derby is shaping up to be a wide-open race. There are no clear favorites and any number of horses could win. It should be a great race to watch.