Kentucky Derby 2016 Post Positions: Field Info, Horses Odds and Predictions

The draw for the 2016 Kentucky Derby came and went Wednesday, which means it's time to dive into which horses will have the best shots at starting off this year's Triple Crown cycle in style.

Morning-line favorite Nyquist (3-1) drew a solid spot in the 13th post, which last produced a Derby winner in 2004, when Smarty Jones broke through. But plenty of attention should be paid to Gun Runner (10-1) in post No. 9 and burner Danzing Candy (15-1) in post No. 20 on the far outside following the draw. 

A detailed look at this year's post positions and odds can be viewed below, courtesy of NBC Sports Network on Twitter. 

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Trojan Nation	Aaron Gryder	Patrick Gallagher	50-1
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Luis Quinonez	Donnie Von Hemel	20-1
3	Creator	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steven Asmussen	10-1
4	Mo Tom	Corey Lanerie	Thomas Amoss	20-1
5	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	Steven Asmussen	10-1
6	My Man Sam	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Chad Brown	20-1
7	Oscar Nominated	Julien Leparoux	Michael Maker	50-1
8	Lani	Yukata Take	Mikio Matsunaga	30-1
9	Destin	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	15-1
10	Whitmore	Victor Espinoza	Ron Moquett	20-1
11	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	J. Keith Desormeaux	8-1
12	Tom's Ready	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Dallas Stewart	30-1
13	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O'Neill	3-1
14	Mohaymen	Junior Alvarado	Kiaran McLaughlin	10-1
15	Outwork	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	15-1
16	Shagaf	Joel Rosario	Chad Brown	20-1
17	Mor Spirit	Gary Stevens	Bob Baffert	12-1
18	Majesto	Emisael Jaramillo	Gustavo Delgado	30-1
19	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	Dale Romans	12-1
20	Danzing Candy	Mike Smith	Clifford Sise Jr.	15-1

Preview and Prediction

We'll start with Nyquist, since the undefeated morning-line favorite is generating tons of hype ahead of Saturday's post time.

Although the 13th post has only churned out one winner since 1999, according to America's Best Racing's Christina Moore, the team behind Nyquist didn't appear perturbed by Wednesday's outcome in the slightest.

"The post draw didn't matter to us a ton, but we're happy being more toward the outside for sure," trainer Doug O'Neill said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "The whole team is pumped up. We're just very optimistic for a big day."

But even though post position history isn't kind to Nyquist, recent trends regarding morning-line favorites are. According to OddsShark.com's Mike Dempsey, each of the last three morning-line favorites has gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, with Orb (5-1), California Chrome (5-2) and American Pharoah (5-2) all living up to expectations. 

However, Wednesday's draw wasn't quite as kind to Danzing Candy. The San Felipe Stakes winner was previously viewed as one of Nyquist's primary challengers, but as Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde noted, the 20th post could spell doom: 

If Danzing Candy is able to breeze past the competition and establish a position as the race's pace-setter, a surprise could be in store. But considering only one horse in 14 tries has captured a Kentucky Derby crown out of the 20th post, the odds aren't exactly in Danzing Candy's favor. 

Finally, there's Gun Runner.

Not only is the chestnut colt running out of the No. 5 post—which has produced a Derby-best 13 winners since 1900, per Dempsey—but the arrow is pointing up with the year's biggest race finally here. 

"His progression has been very good starting from last year," trainer Steve Asmussen said, according to the Courier-Journal's Jonathan Lintner. "He's always had a lot of talent. I think physically, he has continued to develop, and with that, he's gotten a little stronger, a little faster all along."

Predictions: 1. Nyquist, 2. Gun Runner, 3. Exaggerator