Kentucky Derby 2016 Odds: Picks, Dark-Horse Contenders and More

The Triple Crown's first leg promises to set the bar for horse racing's biggest stretch of the season quite high.

While Nyquist stands tall as the favorite courtesy of an undefeated mark and a flexible 13th post, the field hints at a surprise given the bevy of major names and faces in the running.

Whether it's a notable trainer, star jockey or something else, this Saturday's event (start time of 6:34 p.m. ET on NBCSN) doesn't seem as star-dominated as past years, when one horse rose above the rest as an actual Triple Crown threat.

No, this year offers plenty of options to bettors and plenty of intrigue to observers. Here's a look at the field.

2016 Kentucky Derby Lineup

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Trojan Nation	Paddy Gallagher	Aaron T. Gryder	+6600
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Donnie Von Hemel	Luis S. Quinonez	+2000
3	Creator	Steven Asmussen	Ricardo Santana Jr.	+1200
4	Mo Tom	Thomas Amoss	Corey J. Lanerie	+2200
5	Gun Runner	Steven Asmussen	Florent Geroux	+900
6	My Man Sam	Chad Brown	Julien R. Leparoux	+2000
7	Oscar Nominated	Ken and Sarah Ramsey	Robby Albarado	+6600
8	Lani	Koji Maeda	Yutaka Take	+2800
9	Destin	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano	+1400
10	Whitmore	Ron Moquett	Victor Espinoza	+1800
11	Exaggerator	J. Keith Desormeaux	Kent J. Desormeaux	+750
12	Tom's Ready	Dallas Stewart	Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr.	+4000
13	Nyquist	Doug O'Neill	Mario Gutierrez	+300
14	Mohaymen	Kiaran McLaughlin	Junior Alvarado	+800
15	Outwork	Todd Pletcher	John R. Velazquez	+1600
16	Shagaf	Chad Brown	Irad Ortiz Jr.	+2800
17	Mor Spirit	Bob Baffert	Gary L. Stevens	+1400
18	Majesto	Gustavo Delgado	Javier Castellano	+3300
19	Brody's Cause	Dale Romans	Luis Saez	+1400
20	Danzing Candy	Clifford Sise Jr.	Mike E. Smith	+2000

First Dark Horse to Know: Tom's Ready

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Much of the talk outside of Nyquist goes to Gun Runner, Mor Spirit and others, for good reason.

It's never a good idea to sleep on a Dallas Stewart-trained horse, though, which is what bettors have with Tom's Ready.

While Tom's Ready has yet to suit up for a Grade 1 event and hasn't posted a win since September, the speed and training are there when one looks past surface-level items.

Stewart is the most important factor here. He trained long shots Golden Soul and Commanding Curve to wow-worthy runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014, respectively. He has a reputation as a sleeper candidate each year and appears like he's knocking on the door.

He talked about his approach to Kentucky Derby upsets with Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal:

"

We’re not trying to be the best we can be in January. We’re trying to win when we run, but we know it’s a developmental thing, to bring the horses along, get them healthy. If you get your horse injured in late January, February, you are probably going to blow your shot at the Derby if you have a nice horse. … So you try to bring them along.

"

Coming out of a strong 12th slot, jockey Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. can read and react to the field and run as he pleases.

Of the horses with long odds this year, Stewart's Tom's Ready has the look of one to know.

Second Dark Horse to Know: Majesto

Garry Jones/Associated Press

If Stewart is the trainer with long odds to know, one might not want to sleep on jockey Javier Castellano. 

The man who has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in each of the past three seasons will ride the Gustavo Delgado-trained Majesto Saturday out of the 18th slot—the same post American Pharoah originally dashed out of last year.

Majesto has looked strong as of late, too, landing in second place in April's Grade 1 Florida Derby. He took five races to break his maiden, but as Steve Haskin of BloodHorse.com pointed out, Majesto continues to look more and more like a notable name:

That's not bad considering Tiznow won a pair of Breeders' Cup Classic events, among other notables.

If bettors had to pick a horse with little big-race experience and hope for a strong payout, Majesto is the choice.

Not only does Majesto have history and a strong recent performance to lean on, but Castellano always has his name near the top of a leaderboard. When the sprint gets started on the outside, don't look away from the underdog, Majesto.

Picking the Top Three

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Barring a major upset, the top three could showcase some rather obvious results.

As mentioned, Nyquist seems the best horse in the field by quite a bit. Trainer Doug O'Neill has him on a seven-win streak, with four of those recent performances at the Grade 1 level.

Exaggerator gets a nod in second as one of the most capable horses in the field, having just come off a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. While J. Keith Desormeaux's horse has come up short against Nyquist in three events dating back to last June, starting out of the 11th slot will at least keep one of Las Vegas' favorites in contention.

While many will point out that Mor Spirit looks like one of the biggest losers of the draw for landing 17th, where no horse has ever posted a victory, it's impossible to ignore two names—Bob Baffert and Gary Stevens.

In other words, two legends who can make the most out of a bad situation can pick whether they partake in the sprint outside or seek the rail and remain in contention.

When one adheres to the old "cream rising to the crop" formula, the names shake out like so:

1. Nyquist
2. Exaggerator
3. Mor Spirit

Stats and information via KentuckyDerby.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via Odd Shark.