Kentucky Derby Start Time 2016: TV Schedule and Post Time for Churchill Downs

The 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 7, at Churchill Downs, as 20 Thoroughbreds vie for a chance to unseat American Pharoah as the champion of the race and attempt to win the Triple Crown. 

In 2016, there's a $2 million guaranteed purse for the winner of this year's Run for the Roses, per the event's official site. 

Below you'll find all the information you need concerning the draw date, post time and TV schedule for the race, as well as information on which horses are early favorites to receive a blanket of roses come Saturday.

When to Watch 

When: Saturday, May 7

Where: Churchill Downs Racetrack, Louisville, Kentucky

TV: NBC

Post Time: 6:34 p.m. ET

Post Position Draw Date: Wednesday, May 4

What to Watch 

The following five horses sit atop the leaderboard heading into the Kentucky Derby:

Rank	Horse	Points
1	Gun Runner	151
2	Nyquist	130
3	Exaggerator	126
4	Outwork	120
5	Brody's Cause	114

As you can see from the leaderboard, Gun Runner is ahead in points by a large margin, but he's not necessarily an early favorite to win the race.

Gun Runner, who has won four of his last five races, is fourth in the odds to win it all, per Odds Shark, behind Mohaymen (third), Exaggerator (second) and Nyquist (first). 

Why is there not more love for Gun Runner? To start, handicapper Mike Dempsey of Odds Shark pointed out he's coming off a long break, which doesn't necessarily help his case. 

"The colt was last seen winning the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 26 and will be attempting to win the Roses off a six week break, not an easy task," Dempsey wrote. 

And while the undefeated Nyquist is an easy favorite to win the race, it's Mohaymen who has gotten some early buzz after a strong showing at a workout in his first drill at Churchill Downs. 

Dempsey reported Mohaymen worked four furlongs in 46.⅘ seconds, the best of 27 working that distance.

“That gave me goosebumps," assistant trainer Neal McLaughlin said, per Dempsey. "That was a 'wow' breeze."

But many still have their sights set on Nyquist, who has won all seven of his starts leading up to the Run for the Roses. While Nyquist may not set out to take the lead early, he is a horse who can set the pace.

Then there's Exaggerator, who has gone 4-2-1 in nine starts. He will be ridden by jockey Kent Desormeaux, who has won the Derby three times.

Exaggerator has proved he can run well in the mud, which could be crucial at the Derby, as the Weather Channel's early forecast predicts rain at Churchill Downs.

While the field is excitingly close this year, if you're hard-pressed to pick a winner, it's easy to go with Nyquist. He is a 10-3 favorite and has easily been the most consistent runner of this group.