Kentucky Derby 2016 Post Positions: Draw Start Time, Live Stream Info and More

The follow-up act to American Pharoah's Triple Crown triumph has a tough task on its hands.

The 2016 Kentucky Derby might just have what it takes, though, given the depth of competitions this year, alongside the usual legendary trainers and jockeys ready to give the first leg of the trio a go.

In fact, perhaps better parity in the field makes for a better race at the 142nd Run for the Roses. A strong individual storyline is great, but it's hard to beat an unpredictable field when it comes to excitement level.

This field figures to offer plenty of intrigue. Here's how to catch the post position draw.

2016 Kentucky Derby Post Position Draw

When: Wednesday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Bob Baffert, Todd A. Pletcher, John R. Velazquez, Gary L. Stevens, Victor Espinoza.

The gang is all here for the 2016 Kentucky Derby. The athletes with the creative names might be new, but the folks at the controls have crafted a potential lineup with no clear-cut winner and an eye-popping amount of depth.

Here's a look at the probables sorted by points:

Standing	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Points
1	Gun Runner	Steven M. Asmussen	Florent Geroux	151
2	Nyquist	Doug F. O'Neill	Mario Gutierrez	130
3	Exaggerator	J. Keith Desormeaux	Kent J. Desormeaux	126
4	Outwork	Todd A. Pletcher	John R. Velazquez	120
5	Brody's Cause	Dale L. Romans	Luis Saez	114
6	Creator	Steven M. Asmussen	Ricardo Santana Jr.	110
7	Lani	Mikio Matsunaga	N/A	100
8	Mor Spirit	Bob Baffert	Gary L. Stevens	84
9	Mohaymen	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	Junior Alvarado	80
10	Danzing Candy	Clifford W. Sise Jr.	Mike E. Smith	60
11	Destin	Todd A. Pletcher	Javier Castellano	51
12	Suddenbreakingnews	Donnie K. Von Hemel	Luis Quinonez	50
13	Oscar Nominated	Michael J. Maker	Robby Albarado	50
14	Shagaf	Chad C. Brown	Irad Ortiz Jr.	50
15	Whitmore	Ron Moquett	Victor Espinoza	44
16	Tom's Ready	Dallas Stewart	Brian Hernandez Jr.	44
17	My Man Sam	Chad C. Brown	Julien R. Leparoux	40
18	Majesto	Gustavo Delgado	Javier Castellano	40
19	Trojan Nation	Patrick Gallagher	Aaron T. Gryder	40
20	Mo Tom	Thomas M. Amoss	Corey J. Lanerie	32

Gun Runner has the top slot in the standings, though folks will hear more about Nyquist as the favorite.

Which makes plenty of sense when one breaks down their career trajectories to date. Gun Runner is the winner of two races in a row this year, but both were Grade 2 events. A notable November Kentucky Jockey Club event was also Grade 2, but Gun Runner struggled to a fourth-place showing.

The impressive resume goes to Nyquist, who has won four Grade 1 events dating back to September, including most recently taking the Florida Derby at the start of April.

Nyquist is the favorite so much so that even Gun Runner trainer Steven M. Asmussen agrees with the notion, as captured by Frank Angst of BloodHorse.com:

"

In Nyquist you have a seven-for-seven Eclipse champion who has won four grade Is. He's the deserving favorite. Neither Gun Runner nor Creator has run a race to date that would beat Nyquist. But that's what we're here for—to be better. I think that both horses are in a frame of mind that they're going to run their best.

"

This isn't meant to make it sound like it's a two-horse field, though. 

Exaggerator is a close third in the standings, though only has one first-place finish to its name this year thanks to a win at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Keep a close eye on Outwork, too, trained by Pletcher and jockeyed by Velazquez.

According to Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form, Velazquez has Outwork looking like one of the best participants so far:

Pletcher, not one to just bring a single runner to a field, also has Destin ready to tackle the field.

Meanwhile, Baffert has just one horse ready to go—Mor Spirit. Given a win in December's Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity and a close second-place finish behind Exaggerator at the Santa Anita Derby in April, Baffert has a contender on his hands if he can make a few adjustments—especially with the legendary Stevens up top as jockey.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of jockeys, don't sleep on Espinoza, the man who got the most out of American Pharoah last year.

Espinoza has an interesting partner for this year's race, too, in the Ron Moquett-trained Whitmore. While yet to take home a Grade 1 victory, Espinoza loves one fact about the horse above all else—experience where it matters.

"This horse runs the turns well and has won at Churchill—two important Derby factors," Espinoza said, according to Richard Roseblatt of the Associated Press. "I'm excited to have the mount."

Those are some of the biggest names observers can expect to see at Wednesday's draw, though the entire field looks much closer than in recent years. 

With big names in random places all over the board and no one horse looking like the one to beat, the 2016 Kentucky Derby promises much to viewers. Expect the odds after the lineup gets set to reflect such a theme, too.

The sport couldn't have a better way to kick off its most important stretch of the year.

Stats and information via KentuckyDerby.com unless otherwise specified.