2019 Tampa Bay Derby odds, contenders, lineup: Horse racing insider who nailed ninth Preakness reveals picks

Kentucky Derby hopefuls will make up the field in Saturday’s 2019 Tampa Bay Derby. A total of 11 horses will hit the track for the $400,000 race, which goes to post at 5:25 p.m. ET at Tampa Bay Downs. Eight of them are listed at 12-1 or lower in the latest 2019 Tampa Bay Derby odds, led by a pair of home-bred contenders in Win Win Win (5-2) and Well Defined (7-2), each coming off dominating victories on this track. Also near the top of the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby odds board is Dream Maker (4-1), who had a crushing win in New Orleans his last time out. Motivation won’t be an issue among trainers and jockeys for this 2019 Kentucky Derby prep race. With so much on the line, you’ll want to see what red-hot handicapper Jody Demling has to say before you enter any 2019 Tampa Bay Derby picks.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has gotten 2019 off to an astonishing start, nailing the superfecta at the prestigious Pegasus World Cup — a $678 payout on a $1 bet — and then hitting it again at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He also picked the winner of the Risen Star Stakes in February with War of Will. 

Demling nailed winners all throughout 2018 as well, starting with last year’s Pegasus World Cup. Among others, he also produced big winning tickets in 2018 at the Louisiana Derby, Arkansas Derby and the Belmont Stakes, and he nailed his ninth Preakness win in the past 14 years. Anyone who has followed him is way, way up.

Now, Demling is really getting into high gear. He has evaluated Saturday’s Kentucky Derby prep race at Tampa Bay Downs and revealed a complete leaderboard, including his exacta, trifecta and superfecta picks. All of that is available right now only at SportsLine.

We can tell you he’s fading the 5-2 favorite, Win Win Win, who shattered the race record at the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes at Tampa two months ago. But the Tampa Bay Derby 2019 will be considerably longer (8.5 furlongs, or 1 1/16 miles), the competition will be much stronger, and it will likely take one more race under his belt to figure out how to win at this level.

“Win Win Win is very talented and will get better on the Kentucky Derby trail,” Demling told SportsLine. “I might have picked him here if he had been tested around two turns and hadn’t shown a propensity for breaking poorly.” 

One shocker: Demling is high on Zenden, an 8-1 long shot who won his first two races before finishing as the runner-up in his first graded stakes race, the G3 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream. 

“Zenden has shown plenty of talent, but it has come against much easier competition,” Demling said. However, Zenden caught a break with the post draw and will run from the outside. That’s a blessing for this pace-setter, and Demling believes this horse will have a very strong showing on Saturday. He’s an exceptional value given his horse racing odds.

Demling is also extremely high on a surprising dark horse with all the skills needed to take down the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby. He’s including this horse in all of his exotics picks, and anyone who follows Demling’s advice could hit it big once again. 

Who wins the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby? And which horse shocks the racing world? Check out the complete 2019 Tampa Bay Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Tampa Bay Derby, from the horse racing expert who just hit superfectas in the Pegasus World Cup and Sam F. Davis Stakes.

Win Win Win 5-2
Well Defined 7-2
Dream Maker 4-1
Outshine 8-1
Zenden 8-1
Admire 12-1
Sir Winston 12-1
Tacitus 12-1
The Right Path 15-1
Dunph 20-1
Lord Dragon 30-1