Kentucky Derby Post Time 2013: When to Catch Thrilling Action from Louisville

Millions of people around the country are anticipating the start of the 2013 Kentucky Derby. Tens of thousands more at Churchill Downs will battle through anticipated rain showers while they await the post time of the 139th annual Run for the Roses.

Coverage is set to begin on NBC at 4 p.m. (ET), but there will be plenty of time to relax and take in the Southern charm before the race’s 6:24 p.m. post time.

There are several intriguing storylines this year to go along with this race’s usual drama and intrigue. We’ll take a look at some of those below, along with an overview detailing the post time and post positions of the 19-horse field.

Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.

When: Saturday, May 4

Post Time: 6:24 p.m. ET

Purse: $2.18 million

TV: NBC

Live stream: NBC Sports

Post Positions (as of 5/4)

Post No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Black Onyx	Kelly Breen	Joe Bravo	SCR
2	Oxbow	D. Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens	22-1
3	Revolutionary	Todd Pletcher	Calvin Borel	5-1
4	Golden Soul	Dallas Stewart	Robby Albarado	30-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Chad Brown	JavierCastellano	7-1
6	Mylute	Tom Amoss	RosieNapravnik	13-1
7	Giant Finish	Anthony W. Dutrow	Jose L. Espinoza	38-1
8	Goldencents	Doug O'Neill	Kevin Krigger	6-1
9	Overanalyze	Todd Pletcher	Rafael Bejarano	14-1
10	Palace Malice	Eddie Plesa, Jr. ToddPletcher	Mike Smith	24-1
11	Lines of Battle	Aidan O’Brien	Ryan Moore	33-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Eddie Plesa, Jr.	Elvis Trujillo	9-1
13	Falling Sky	John Terranova II	Gabriel Saez	37-1
14	Verrazano	Todd Pletcher	John R. Velazquez	9-1
15	Charming Kitten	Todd Pletcher	Edgar Prado	29-1
16	Orb	Claude R. McGaughey III	Joel Rosario	7-1
17	Will Take Charge	D. Wayne Lukas	Jon Court	30-1
18	Frac Daddy	Kenny McPeek	Victor Lebron	23-1
19	Java’s War	Kenny McPeek	Julien Leparoux	23-1
20	Vyjack	Rudy Rodriguez	Garrett Gomez	34-1

Top Storylines

Verrazano Attempting to Remain Unbeaten

Todd Pletcher has more than one horse in this race—literally. He boasts a record-tying five entries in 2013. While that doesn’t guarantee success, Pletcher has to like his chances with undefeated Verrazano among his best horses.

Despite anticipation for the 4-0 colt, he never raced as a two-year-old. A horse has not won at Churchill Downs without that experience since Apollo did it in 1882.

The strong and gifted horse will have the advantage of having Hall of Famer John Velazquez on the saddle. Will we see history in Louisville? 

Rick Pitino’s Stake in the Race

Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino is a local celebrity after winning national championships at both Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013). He won’t be jusst a spectator at Saturday night’s race, as he holds an ownership in the Doug O’Neil-trained Goldencents.

O’Neil won last year after pegging unknown jockey Mario Gutierrez to saddle I’ll Have Another. It worked, and he will rely on that strategy again this year.

Jockey Kevin Krigger has been tagged to ride Goldencents. He will attempt to become the first African American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby since 1902. 

Shug McGaughey III Seeks First Derby Win

Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III is a Hall of Fame horse trainer who can’t seem to find a way to get a win at Churchill Downs’ biggest race.

McGaughey is second in Breeders Cup wins (10) among all trainers and has won every major stake in New York, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Pat Forde.

Will this be the year that the 63-year-old finally takes home the horse racing world’s biggest prize?

*All betting information via KentuckyDerby.com Live Odds (current as of 12:30 p.m. ET).