Kentucky Derby 2016 Contenders: Horses, Jockeys with Best Chance at Triple Crown
Following in American Pharoah's footsteps seems impossible.
Given the structure of horse racing, it's almost like trying to fill the void left by say, Peyton Manning or Kobe Bryant. Maybe Brett Favre.
Such is the task thrust upon the 2016 Kentucky Derby entrants led by Nyquist, the hefty favorite. Already much has changed about the Triple Crown outlook, too, after the post positions draw sent Mor Spirit and legends Bob Baffert and Gary Stevens to the winless 17th hole.
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Much more will change during the hours leading up to the event's start (Saturday at 6:34 p.m. ET on NBCSN), so stay fresh on the odds and the outlook beyond the first leg with a glance below.
2016 Kentucky Derby Lineup
| 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 | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | +2000 |
| 7 | Oscar Nominated | Michael Maker | Julien Leparoux | +6600 |
| 8 | Lani | Mikio Matsunaga | 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 | Joel Rosario | +2800 |
| 17 | Mor Spirit | Bob Baffert | Gary L. Stevens | +1400 |
| 18 | Majesto | Gustavo Delgado | Emisael Jaramillo | +3300 |
| 19 | Brody's Cause | Dale Romans | Luis Saez | +1400 |
| 20 | Danzing Candy | Clifford Sise Jr. | Mike E. Smith | +2000 |
Tandems With Best Triple Crown Shots
Exaggerator and Kent J. Desormeaux
Exaggerator ranks among the favorites thanks to a hefty workload to this point, a willingness to adapt and a strong team thanks to the Desormeaux brothers.
With trainer Keith and jockey Kent on board, Exaggerator has won four races dating back to last July, one of those a Grade 1 event. In April, he took the Santa Anita Derby while fending off Mor Spirit.
Granted, the trio has two losses to Nyquist in that span, but it's more something to build on than feel doubt about.
As Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune pointed out, it comes down to experience:
Keith, though, accredits their strong chances to Exaggerator's ability to run any pace, as he told Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form.
“I honestly don’t think he needs an off racetrack,” he said. “Does he need a suicide pace? Good, consistent horses somehow find a way to win, regardless of the setup. He’s got some questions to answer in that regard Saturday, but then so do all the others.”
Experience and versatility is a strong, strong tandem when one wants a horse to not only win the Kentucky Derby (out of a solid 11th post, by the way), but ride the momentum into two more races while fending off the best of the best.
Destin and Javier Castellano
Destin is one of the most intriguing shots around Saturday, and one that could turn into a fairy tale in a hurry.
It's never wise to doubt a Todd Pletcher-trained horse. That's why some might view it as a negative, but Destin has never gone the full length of the upcoming Kentucky Derby, nor has the horse participated in a Grade 1 event.
But the negatives end there. Destin has won two races in a row and enters the Derby more rested than most, having not raced since March 12.
Oh, and fabled jockey Javier Castellano sits up top.
The Eclipse Award Outstanding Jockey in each of the past three years with more than 24,000 starts to his name, according to Equibase, Castellano will understand what it takes to get the most out of his fresh young horse.
It helps the two run out of the ninth slot, where Castellano can get into the thick of things in a sprint on the outside or pitch inside for positioning.
Either way, if Destin can pull off the upset Saturday, all of a sudden the Pletcher-Castellano tandem with plenty of rest creates quite the monster heading into the second and third legs.
Nyquist and Mario Gutierrez
Nobody comes close to Nyquist's shot at the Triple Crown for good reason.
The Doug O'Neill-trained horse has won all seven starts dating back to last June, including four Grade 1 events and besting hopefuls such as Majesto and Exaggerator in the process.
Experience is the name of the game for everything surrounding Nyquist, especially with jockey Mario Gutierrez boasting more than 5,000 starts.
Like the intro hinted, though, Nyquist has a seemingly impossible task ahead—the hype for an undefeated horse just isn't high this year after last season's events. Trainer Dale Romans, who trots out Brody's Cause Saturday, talked about this with USA Today's Dan Wolken:
"He really doesn’t have the same media buzz. Any undefeated 2-year-old champion coming into the Derby is the horse to beat. You’ve got to give it to him. There’s some question marks with him probably, but you can’t knock his record. He finds a way to win and winners, whether it’s human or racehorses, have that intangible. They just win.
"
And that's really the point, right? Nyquist just wins.
It's a big deal in what seems like a rather weak field. Even still, if Nyquist takes down the Kentucky Derby, he'll have to turn around and best some of the same contenders plus a few who don't run every leg of the Triple Crown and will look to play the spoiler.
Nyquist leads the combo most up to task, as Las Vegas suggests.
Stats and information via KentuckyDerby.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via Odd Shark.
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