The Best Derbies of 2015? Kentucky Derby Tops the Rankings

There are no stars in Sunday’s Oklahoma Derby, but taking a look at the overall depth of the field got me thinking about the best Derbies run in the United States in 2015. The following is a list of my rankings for the year. To keep it simple, I ranked only the Derbies that were contested on dirt, and my ratings were based on the quality of winner, as well as the quality of horses that finished behind him. To no surprise, the one on the first Saturday in May was far and away the tops for the year. Some of the biggest omissions from the top 12 include the Super Derby, Illinois Derby, and Iowa Derby. Without further ado, on with the list!

1) Kentucky Derby (Winner - American Pharoah) (Also ran - Firing Line, Dortmund, Frosted, Keen Ice, Carpe Diem, etc…)

2) Arkansas Derby (Winner - American Pharoah) (Also ran - Far Right, Mr. Z, Madefromlucky, Bold Conquest, etc…)

3) Pennsylvania Derby (Winner - Frosted) (Also ran - Iron Fist, Tommy Macho, Mr. Z, Upstart, etc…)

4) Santa Anita Derby (Winner - Dortmund) (Also ran - One Lucky Dane, Bolo, Prospect Park, Cross the Line, etc…)

5) Louisiana Derby (Winner - International Star) (Also ran - Stanford, War Story, Keen Ice, Mr. Z etc…)

6) Florida Derby (Winner - Materiality) (Also ran - Upstart, Ami’s Flatter, Itsaknockout, My Point Exactly, etc…)

7) Tampa Bay Derby (Winner - Carpe Diem) (Also ran - Ami’s Flatter, Divining Rod, Danzig Moon, Ocean Knight, etc…)

8) West Virginia Derby (Winner - Madefromlucky) (Also ran - Souper Colossal, War Story, Iron Fist, Tale of Verve, etc…)

9) Indiana Derby (Winner - Tiz Shea D) (Also ran - Mr. Z, Divining Rod, Bold Conquest, Island Town, etc…)

10) Ohio Derby (Winner - Mr. Z) (Also ran - Tencendur, Divining Rod, War Story, Far Right, etc…)

11) Oklahoma Derby (Winner - Shotgun Kowboy) (Also ran - Desert Dynamo, Mobile Bay, Souper Colossal, Tale of Verve, etc…)

12) Sunland Derby (Winner - Firing Line) (Also ran - Where’s The Moon, Pain and Misery, Tiznow RJ, etc…)