Kentucky Derby 2016 Post Positions: Complete Listing for Every Horse

Post positions for the 2016 Kentucky Derby were drawn Wednesday as part of the final preparations for the 142nd running of the storied race Saturday. Undefeated favorite Nyquist headlines a deep, talented field that includes Exaggerator, Mohaymen and Gun Runner, among others.  

All of those contenders are hoping to replicate the feats accomplished by American Pharoah one year ago. Not only did he end a 37-year Triple Crown drought, but he also became American horse racing's first Grand Slam champion by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic in October.

Let's check out the always important starting order for this year's Run for the Roses. That's followed by a preview of what should be a highly competitive battle at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

2016 Kentucky Derby Field

Post	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1	Trojan Nation	Aaron Gryder	50-1
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Luis Quinonez	20-1
3	Creator	Ricardo Santana Jr.	10-1
4	Mo Tom	Corey Lanerie	20-1
5	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	10-1
6	My Man Sam	Irad Ortiz Jr.	20-1
7	Oscar Nominated	Julien Leparoux	50-1
8	Lani	Yutaka Take	30-1
9	Destin	Javier Castellano	15-1
10	Whitmore	Victor Espinoza	20-1
11	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	8-1
12	Tom's Ready	Brian Hernandez Jr.	30-1
13	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	3-1
14	Mohaymen	Junior Alvarado	10-1
15	Outwork	John Velazquez	15-1
16	Shagaf	Joel Rosario	20-1
17	Mor Spirit	Gary Stevens	12-1
18	Majesto	Emisael Jaramillo	30-1
19	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	12-1
20	Danzing Candy	Mike E. Smith	15-1

Race Preview

Nyquist solidified himself as the horse to beat in the Kentucky Derby at last month's Florida Derby. A hyped encounter with fellow Triple Crown hopeful Mohaymen never developed as Nyquist easily pulled away from the field during the homestretch for his seventh straight victory.

His unbeaten streak heading into Saturday's marquee event is no fluke. Of his seven victories, four have come in Grade I races, and two others were Grade II races. So he's been beating top-level competition his entire career, often with relative ease.

Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form likes what he's seen from the favorite since arriving at Churchill Downs:

The question now surrounds what it would take to upset him in the first leg of the Triple Crown. His trainer, Doug O'Neill, provided the potential answer to John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times.

"If he engages you, he's going to be tough to beat," O'Neill said. "The one thing I think could beat Nyquist is if he's on a lead and someone [he can't see] is flying five wide outside."

The Kentucky Derby is a race where that type of ending is possible because of the large field and the often-chaotic final furlongs.

Mohaymen is one of several horses with the talent to steal the spotlight Saturday. He'll need to showcase a much better finishing kick than he did in the Florida Derby, however, as he faded to fourth down the stretch rather than run with Nyquist.

A key concern surrounds jockey Junior Alvarado, who's slated to make his Kentucky Derby debut. That lack of experience in one of horse racing's trickiest environments creates an extra layer of uncertainty when it comes to whether Mohaymen can bounce back from a lackluster final prep race.

KY Derby Contenders highlighted the lack of success from first-time Derby jockeys:

It's interesting that two of the race's top choices, Gun Runner being the other, ended up on that list. But it's another illustration of the field's depth, which gave the most coveted jockeys plenty of options throughout the prep season.

Gun Runner comes into the first leg of the Triple Crown trending in the right direction. His 2015 season came to a close with a disappointing fourth-place finish Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, but he's rebounded by winning both his 2016 starts (Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby).

The Steve Asmussen-trained colt certainly arrived to Churchill Downs with a smooth, powerful stride, as showcased by Three Chimneys Farm:

Exaggerator is the other horse generating some buzz as the Derby nears. His performance has been sporadic across his first nine career starts. Winning the Santa Anita Derby in his final start before the Triple Crown season bolstered his case as a true contender, though.

The unknown is whether he can string two strong outings together. He hasn't won back-to-back races since last summer and came up short in a pair of previous meetings with Nyquist. It gives him all the makings to become the biggest boom-or-bust selection Saturday.

For those looking for positive signs, Nicole Russo of the Daily Racing Form provided one from Wednesday morning's work:

All told, the early pace will be a major factor. Think back to American Pharoah. When jockey Victor Espinoza was allowed to find his comfort zone near the front, the Triple Crown winner was unbeatable. But after he got pushed hard during the opening stages of the Travers Stakes, he came up short.

The bottom line is other jockeys can't allow the most talented horse in the field to race on his terms. If Nyquist and jockey Mario Gutierrez are the ones controlling the pace around the first few turns, it's hard to imagine anybody else ending up in the winner's circle.

That said, should the favorite fail to get a clean break or face multiple horses posting lightning-quick fractions during the first half of the race, that's when the Kentucky Derby should start living up to the moniker of the "Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports."