Kentucky Derby 2016 Horses: Contenders and Race-Day Overview for Entire Field

The 2016 Kentucky Derby features a deep field of contenders led by undefeated favorite Nyquist. The talented group of three-year-old horses figures to make for an entertaining Triple Crown season, starting with the first leg at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Whether it's Nyquist, Exaggerator, Mohaymen or one of the hopefuls, matching what American Pharoah accomplished in 2015 will be an uphill battle given the depth. There's a reason the Triple Crown drought lasted 37 years before it finally came to an end last year.

Let's check out the entire list of horses who will take to the starting gate for the 142nd running of the storied race. That's followed by a closer look at a trio horses to keep an eye on Saturday.

Complete 2016 Kentucky Derby Field

Post	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1	Trojan Nation	Aaron Gryder	+6600
2	Suddenbreakingnews	Luis Quinonez	+2000
3	Creator	Ricardo Santana Jr.	+1200
4	Mo Tom	Corey Lanerie	+2200
5	Gun Runner	Florent Geroux	+900
6	My Man Sam	Irad Ortiz Jr.	+2000
7	Oscar Nominated	Julien Leparoux	+6600
8	Lani	Yutaka Take	+2800
9	Destin	Javier Castellano	+1400
10	Whitmore	Victor Espinoza	+1800
11	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	+750
12	Tom's Ready	Brian Hernandez Jr.	+4000
13	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	+300
14	Mohaymen	Junior Alvarado	+800
15	Outwork	John Velazquez	+1600
16	Shagaf	Joel Rosario	+2800
17	Mor Spirit	Gary Stevens	+1400
18	Majesto	Emisael Jaramillo	+3300
19	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	+1400
20	Danzing Candy	Mike E. Smith	+2000

Favorite: Nyquist

Winning seven straight races to start a career is impressive regardless of the circumstances. Nyquist's run is even more magnificent because he's regularly gone up against top-tier competition and come out on top, winning four Grade I and two Grade II races.

Perhaps the only question is what will happen if the 20-horse field causes some early issues. It's usually pretty chaotic at the outset with so many jockeys fighting for position. That would be a new experience for the favorite, who's run a majority of his prior races on his terms.

The dominant stretch leading into the Triple Crown campaign is reminiscent of 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, as highlighted by David Grening of the Daily Racing Form:

As long as Nyquist is able to avoid any serious issues in the first few furlongs, he'll be tough to beat. He's been a step ahead of his opponents for the entire prep season, and there's no reason to believe that will change on one of the sport's biggest stages.

Biggest Threat: Mohaymen

One reason the Triple Crown races are often difficult to handicap is the small sample size. Mohaymen is a perfect example of that. He started his career with five straight victories before finishing fourth in a hyped encounter with Nyquist in the Florida Derby.

It's hard to know whether that was simply an off day or a troubling sign of things to come given the limited number of starts. Emerald Downs track announcer Matt Dinerman was surprised how quickly the attention turned elsewhere after one poor outing:

Remember, Mohaymen was the slight favorite against Nyquist heading into the Florida Derby. Now, just one race later, he's merely part of a crowded second wave of contenders while his unbeaten counterpart is the heavy favorite.

It gives the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee a lot of value for exotic wagers, at the very least. And, given his prior success, it wouldn't come as a shock if he enjoys a strong bounce-back performance and ends up in the winner's circle.

Long Shot: Shagaf

Sleepers in any race fall into that category for a reason. In Shagaf's case, his small four-race resume features a lack of memorable performances. While he did win the Grade III Gotham Stakes, he fell flat in the Wood Memorial in his final outing before the Derby.

So picking him as a long shot is less based on past races and more focused on the untapped potential he's yet to showcase. Reinier Macatangay of Lady and the Track passed along comments from trainer Chad Brown about the horse's ability to handle the distance.

"I don't see any way that this horse isn't made to go a mile-and-a-quarter or farther, between his pedigree and the way he looks and trains," Brown said. "I'm confident he'll get the distance and I love the way he's training."

Handling the 10-furlong distance is one of the many variables in the Kentucky Derby. That's why horses with the right pedigree can carry some hidden potential, even if their track record before the Triple Crown season didn't stand out.

Ultimately, everything would have to go perfect for Shagaf to win the race. He's an interesting option for exotic wagers, however. If jockey Joel Rosario can keep him under control early and save some late pace, he could charge into the money as the other contenders fade down the stretch.