Kentucky Derby 2016 Post Positions: Odds and Race Outlook for Entire Field

The three-race flurry capable of creating a legend trumping any other sport story during its span begins at Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

With post positions set, the 142nd Run for the Roses promises one of the more notable races in years, which is a good claim for the sport to boast with more eyes on it than usual in the wake of American Pharoah's Triple Crown triumph last year, a globe-captivating feat.

With immense speed on the outside and more talented congestion near the rail than a NASCAR event, plus legendary names sprinkled throughout the lineup, this isn't an event to miss just because it's unlikely lightning strikes twice.

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	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

Saturday's Outlook

This might seem like a weaker field at first glance, but the smattering of notable names throughout makes for one of the more interesting buildups.

Start right on the inside with notable Gun Runner out of the fifth slot. Trained by Steven Asmussen, Gun Runner has won two races in a row and gets notable jockey Florent Geroux up top, who has three Breeders’ Cup victories and will make his Derby debut.

If that's not enough, look a few posts down at Todd Pletcher's Destin. Pletcher himself deserves respect, but it helps seasoned veteran Javier Castellano will direct things from up top.

Not only has Destin won two races in a row, Castellano has a speedster on his hands with a whopping eight weeks of rest going into the event. To top it all off? The duo can decide how to handle the event thanks to a flexible post.

Don't sleep on Whitmore right next to Destin, either. Most of the credit goes to jockey Victor Espinoza after his wild success the past two years, though don't discredit the horse itself, as Bob Nastanovich of the Des Moines Register explained:

"

Whitmore’s new jockey, Victor Espinoza, will try to become the first jockey in history to win three straight Kentucky Derbies. Despite his stamina-laden pedigree, Whitmore has two career wins, both at the sprint distance of six furlongs. Regardless, he is consistent and has run four good races since adding blinkers this year.

"

The biggest names really sit 11th and beyond, though.

One of the favorites, Exaggerator, sits 11th next to Whitmore and looks like a Triple Crown threat thanks to the presence of the Desormeaux brothers. The jockey, Kent, already has three Derby wins to his name. And Exaggerator comes off a strong triumph in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, besting Mor Spirit and others.

The headline act, Nyquist, sits 13th. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Nyquist has won all seven starts dating back to last summer, four of those Grade 1 events.

There's just one problem with Nyquist—the whole unbeaten thing. It sounds like a great status to boast going into Saturday, but in reality, only seven horses have actually entered and left the Derby undefeated.

There are worse problems to have, of course, and Nyquist isn't facing never-ending hype, not after American Pharoah last year. In fact, the general narrative around Nyquist seems to be doubt, which is something owner Paul Reddam said he understands, according to Jerry Izenberg of NJ.com.

"I can understand their criticism from a gambler's standpoint," Reddam said. "I mean, if I were betting and there was a favorite, an unbeaten favorite, I wouldn't bet him. To get a price, I would have to make the case he could be beaten and then [pick] the one who could do it."

The intrigue keeps going on down the list. Mohaymen has legendary trainer Kiaran McLaughlin leading the way. Pletcher has a second horse with Outwork. Mor Spirit looked like a great shot with legends Bob Baffert training and jockey Gary Stevens directing, that is until they landed the winless 17th post.

So while some might view the field as weak this year, an American Pharoah-led field is a tough act to follow. As the above outlines, the 2016 field offers more intrigue than usual, especially with the favorite on the receiving end of such doubt.

Given the spread of talent, almost anything seems possible Saturday. There will be a huge sprint on the outside and massive congestion near the rail, meaning even a favorite can get caught up while an underrated name goes the distance.

After years of obvious outcomes, the 2016 Kentucky Derby promises a strong chance at the unexpected. Call it a nice change of pace for a sport with more eyes on it than usual.

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