Bellamy Road is 5-2 favorite

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Trainer Nick Zito has the favorite for the Kentucky Derby again, this time with Bellamy Road, owned by Yankees boss George Steinbrenner.
Bellamy Road was made the 5-2 favorite for Saturday's richest Derby ever, and drew the No. 16 post Wednesday.
The No. 16 post has worked well in the last decade, producing three Derby winners -- Thunder Gulch in 1995, Charismatic in 1999 and Monarchos in 2001.
A full field of 20 3-year-olds was entered for the 11/4-mile race, with Afleet Alex the second choice at 9-2. Bandini was the third choice at 6-1.
Bellamy Road is one of five Zito horses in the field, equaling the record by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas in 1996. Lukas won that year, with Grindstone.
Zito's other horses are High Fly at 8-1, leaving from the No. 11 post; Noble Causeway at 12-1 (No. 4 post); Sun King at 15-1 (No. 3); and Andromeda's Hero at 50-1 (No. 2).
Asked how long it took to decide which horse would leave from which gate, Zito said: "Five minutes, a minute for each horse. I wanted Bellamy Road on the outside, and I think we got everything we wanted."
Changing roles
Last year, Zito's The Cliff's Edge was the slight favorite, but Smarty Jones ended up as the top choice.
It's unlikely the favorite's role will change this year, not after Bellamy Road's last two races, a 171/2-length romp in the Wood Memorial on April 9 and a 153/4-length rout in an allowance race a month earlier.
Bellamy Road, with Javier Castellano aboard, will attempt to become the first Derby winner off two 3-year-old races since Sunny's Halo in 1983.
Steinbrenner, scheduled to arrive in town Friday, said he feels "very good about Bellamy Road." And why shouldn't he? He's probably not too happy with his Yankees, who entered play Wednesday with an 11-16 record.
"I hope he runs well, and I think he has a good chance but anything can happen," Steinbrenner said in a statement issued by spokesman Howard Rubenstein. "I'm very hopeful."
Zito is looking for his third Derby win. The New Yorker won in 1991 with Strike the Gold and in 1994 with Go for Gin.
Maximum entries
This is the richest Derby with a purse of $2,399,600. If all 20 start, the winner's share is a record $1,639,600. Last year's Derby had a $1 million purse.
The last time 20 horses started the Derby was 1984. That year a rule was made to cap the field at 20, and since then the maximum has yet to be reached. Last year, 20 were entered but St Averil and Wimbledon were late scratches.
Steinbrenner's Derby record is 0-for-5. His first starter, Steve's Friend, was fifth in 1977. Eternal Prince was 12th in 1985, Diligence (1996) and Concerto (1997) each finished ninth and Blue Burner was 11th in 2002.
Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, and Bob Baffert, a three-time winner, both have 50-1 long shots. Lukas trains Going Wild and Baffert has Sort It Out.
The field, in post position order from the rail out: Sort It Out (Brice Blanc, 50-1); Andromeda's Hero (Rafael Bejarano, 50-1); Sun King (Edgar Prado, 15-1); Noble Causeway (Gary Stevens, 12-1); Coin Silver (Patrick Valenzuela, 20-1); High Limit (Ramon Dominguez, 12-1); Flower Alley (Jorge Chavez, 20-1); Greater Good (John McKee, 20-1); Greeley's Galaxy (Kent Desormeaux, 15-1); Giacomo (Mike Smith, 50-1); High Fly (Jerry Bailey, 8-1); Afleet Alex (Jeremy Rose, 9-2); Spanish Chestnut (Joe Bravo, 50-1); Wilko (Corey Nakatani, 20-1); Bandini (John Velazquez, 6-1); Bellamy Road (Javier Castellano, 5-2); Don't Get Mad (Tyler Baze, 30-1); Closing Argument (Cornelio Velasquez, 30-1); Going Wild (Jose Valdivia Jr., 50-1); and Buzzards Bay (Mark Guidry, 20-1).