Kentucky Derby 2015 Weather: Latest Forecast for 141st Race at Churchill Downs

The latest weather forecast points to Kentucky Derby attendees enjoying a beautiful day at Churchill Downs.

Those heading to the track will bask in sunshine during a warm but not hot afternoon. The event's official Twitter page celebrated the predicted conditions earlier this week:

As of Friday at noon, Weather.com's forecast remains promising in Louisville. It anticipates a partly cloudy day with a high of 77 degrees. 

While rain isn't expected to derail the Run for the Roses, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson warned of some sporadic drizzling, per AccuWeather.com's Kevin Byrne.

"While much of the time will be rain-free, there will be a couple of showers around," Erickson said. "With the clouds and precipitation in the area, temperatures will be several degrees below average in the middle 60s."

Nevertheless, Mother Nature looks ready to cooperate over the weekend, providing a pleasant atmosphere for all 20 horses partaking in the 141st Kentucky Derby. American Pharoah and Dortmund will gallop into the 10-furlong race as favorites, but they aren't the only colts with a chance to commence the Triple Crown quest on top.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	Ocho Ocho Ocho	Elvis Trujillo	Jim Cassidy
2	Carpe Diem	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher
3	Materiality	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
4	Tencendur	Manny Franco	George Weaver
5	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse
6	Mubtaahij	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock
7	El Kabeir	Calvin Borel	John Terranova II
8	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert
9	Bolo	Rafael Bejarano	Carla Gaines
10	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan
11	Stanford (SCRATCHED)	Florent Geroux	Todd Pletcher
12	International Star	Miguel Mena	Mike Maker
13	Itsaknockout	Luis Saez	Todd Pletcher
14	Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans
15	Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin
16	War Story	Joe Talamo	Tom Amoss
17	Mr. Z	Ramon Vazquez	D. Wayne Lukas
18	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert
19	Upstart	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.
20	Far Right	Mike Smith	Ron Moquett
21	Frammento	Corey Nakatani	Nick Zito

While Bob Baffert's two favorites are receiving all the attention heading into Saturday, trainer Todd Pletcher also carries two contenders in Carpe Diem and Materiality. Like American Pharoah, Carpe Diem has won four of five starts, but he finished second in the holdout rather than fifth.

Like Dortmund, Materiality enters Churchill Downs undefeated. Both are 3-0 this year, but Dortmund also collected a trio of victories last year, while Materiality debuted in 2015.

They were both dealt unfavorable draws, however, getting tough inside gates with the No. 2 and No. 3 post positions. The Daily Racing Form's Mike Watchmaker didn't mince words in his instant reaction to Wednesday's reveal:

Pletcher also wields a long shot in Itsaknockout, but he will hold back another. According to The Blood-Horse's Claire Novak, Stanford will not participate in the Derby. Pletcher explained his tactical decision:

"

We entered the horse in the race to see what sort of post he might draw. We were on the fence as to whether or not to run him, but we thought we'd take a look. But after seeing the draw and talking to the owners, we decided it might be best to take him out and consider other options.

We're thinking now that either the Peter Pan Stakes or the Preakness Stakes might be better spots for him. The horse is fine.

"

With three other competitors, two far more likely to make noise, the trainer will preserve Stanford's energy for another event while maintaining a heavy imprint on the Derby. Meanwhile, Frammento will take his spot Saturday.

Although Pletcher has collected more all-time earnings than any other trainer, per Equibase, he has frequently struck out at Churchill Downs. Despite sending out 40 horses, he has backed only one winner: 2010 champion Super Saver. 

Knocking off Baffert's prized horses would make a huge statement.