Kentucky Derby 2016 Contenders: Odds, Jockey and Pedigree Info for Top Favorites

Following Wednesday's post draw, the 2016 Kentucky Derby is officially set, and a handful of horses have separated themselves from the field in terms of being considered likely candidates to win the Run for the Roses.

Nyquist is undoubtedly at the top of that list, but he is far from the only horse with a strong combination of post position, jockey and pedigree. Many of the horses in the field come from a long line of champions, and they'll have an opportunity to carry on that tradition Saturday.

Here is a full rundown of vital information for every horse scheduled to compete in the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby, along with further analysis regarding the top contenders.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Sire	Dam	Odds
1	Trojan Nation	Aaron Gryder	Street Cry	Storm Song	66-1
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Luis Quinonez	Mineshaft	Uchitel	20-1
3	Creator	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Tapit	Morena	12-1
4	Mo Tom	Corey Lanerie	Uncle Mo	Caroni	22-1
5	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	Candy Ride	Quiet Giant	9-1
6	My Man Sam	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Trappe Shot	Lauren Byrd	20-1
7	Oscar Nominated	Julien Leparoux	Kitten's Joy	Devine Actress	66-1
8	Lani	Yutaka Take	Tapit	Heavenly Romance	28-1
9	Destin	Javier Castellano	Giant's Causeway	Dream of Summer	14-1
10	Whitmore	Victor Espinoza	Pleasantly Perfect	Melody's Spirit	18-1
11	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	Curlin	Dawn Raid	15-2
12	Tom's Ready	Brian Hernandez Jr.	More Than Ready	Goodbye Stranger	40-1
13	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	Uncle Mo	Seeking Gabrielle	3-1
14	Mohaymen	Junior Alvarado	Tapit	Justwhistledixie	8-1
15	Outwork	John Velazquez	Uncle Mo	Nonna Mia	16-1
16	Shagaf	Joel Rosario	Bernardini	Muhaawara	28-1
17	Mor Spirit	Gary Stevens	Eskendereya	Im A Dixie Girl	14-1
18	Majesto	Emisael Jaramillo	Tiznow	Unacloud	33-1
19	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	Giant's Causeway	Sweet Breanna	14-1
20	Danzing Candy	Mike E. Smith	Twirling Candy	Talkin And Singing	20-1

Top Contenders to Watch

Nyquist

The dominant Nyquist enters the Kentucky Derby with an unblemished record of 7-0, and the post draw did little to change the perception that he is the unquestioned favorite to the take the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Nyquist will start toward the outside at No. 13, which is a spot trainer Doug O'Neill is extremely comfortable with, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "The post draw didn't matter to us a ton, but we're happy being more toward the outside for sure. The whole team is pumped up. We're just very optimistic for a big day."

O'Neill has every reason to be comfortable with his spectacular colt, especially after his impressive win in the Florida Derby in April.

Nyquist has looked invincible thus far, but as pointed out by ESPN's John Buccigross, an undefeated horse winning the Kentucky Derby is quite rare:

Even American Pharoah had lost a race before winning last year's Derby and ultimately going on to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

The Kentucky Derby is an entirely different animal than most races due in large part to the sheer amount of horses on the track.

Nyquist has a penchant for getting to the front fairly early on and staying there, and his post position should help immensely in that regard. Even though there are other horses with a legitimate shot to win, Nyquist is clearly the horse to beat entering Saturday.

Exaggerator

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

On the heels of an impressive victory in the Santa Anita Derby, Exaggerator enters the Kentucky Derby with a ton of momentum on his side, making him the second choice behind Nyquist.

The spawn of Curlin has some experience going up against Nyquist, including a second-place finish at the San Vicente Stakes in February.

While he and his team haven't figured out how to outmaneuver the undefeated favorite quite yet, Exaggerator is seemingly in his best form ever, and that makes him a threat to run down Nyquist Saturday.

According to Ted Lewis of the Advocate, trainer Keith Desormeaux is well aware that his horse needs to run the best race of his life to pull off the minor upset: "There's no way getting around saying Nyquist is the horse to beat. But we've got a maturing horse that we feel confident is going to be at his best on Derby day."

Reports regarding Exaggerator leading up to the race have been positive, as Nicole Russo of Daily Racing Form is among those who were impressed with his training recently:

Exaggerator derives from the great Curlin, who won the Preakness Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic in 2007.

He arguably has better bloodlines than any horse in the field, and while that doesn't always translate to success during the race, Exaggerator clearly boasts the tools needed to enter the winner's circle.

Creator

Garry Jones/Associated Press

After winning just one of his first seven races, Creator established himself as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender when he surprised many by winning the Arkansas Derby in April.

He beat out other Kentucky Derby entrants Suddenbreakingnews and Whitmore and realized the potential he had shown for so long.

According to Ron Mitchell of BloodHorse.com, trainer Steve Asmussen always felt as though Creator had it in him to be something special provided he could harness his talent:

"

He's always had a lot of talent. He's a great physical, tremendous pedigree. It's been in him. I think that he just lacked focus in his races. It was a bit frustrating running him because you felt like he should have won several of the races you watched him in. But he would have a mental lapse and just not finish up with the effort you knew he was capable of.

I thought he gave us indicators pre-race in Arkansas that his focus had come around at the right time. In the Arkansas Derby I thought he showed a maturity and a focus that will come in very handy for him in a Derby field.

"

Creator has piqued the interest of many since that victory, including Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form:

Although Creator doesn't have the same lengthy track record of success that Nyquist does, he is coming into his own at the perfect time.

Breaking from the No. 3 post could be a challenge in terms of avoiding getting stuck on the rail, but if Creator manages to separate himself from the fray and get a clean trip, he has the speed needed to compete with Nyquist near the front.

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