Kentucky Derby 2018 Post Time: NBC TV Start Time, Final Predictions and More

The 144th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, beginning a chase for the Triple Crown in the most anticipated portion of the American horse racing calendar.

A 20-horse field will take part in 2018's Run for the Roses over 10 furlongs (1 ¼-mile), with the winner having a shot at taking the Triple Crown by winning at the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes later in the calendar.

American Pharoah was the last horse to win the Triple Crown in 2015, but he did so as an overwhelming favourite.

Bob Baffert-trained Justify has grabbed headlines as one of the front-runners to watch on Saturday, but the Derby always presents a deep field behind the favorite.

Date: Saturday, May 5

Post Time: 6:46 p.m. ET/11:46 p.m. BST

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)

TV Info: NBCSN (U.S.)

NBC TV Schedule

Kentucky Derby undercard: 12 p.m. ET - 2:30 p.m. ET/5 p.m. BST - 7:30 p.m. BST

Kentucky Derby: 2:30 p.m. ET - 7:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. BST - 12:30 a.m. BST (Sunday, May 6)

Visit the official website to see the Derby schedule in full.

Magnum Moon Shines, My Boy Jack's Growth Spurt

Magnum Moon also has some extra bragging rights coming into this contest as Road to the Kentucky Derby points leader, having won the Rebel Stakes in March and the Arkansas Stakes in April.

His first Grade 1 win was timely with the Kentucky Derby just weeks away, although footage of the triumph showed him fading away toward the end of his race:

Trainer Todd Pletcher has spoken highly of the three-year-old in preparations for the trip to Churchill Downs, per Jason Frakes of the Louisville Kentucky Journal:

"Magnum Moon is an impressive individual. I can remember seeing him at my dad’s training center in December as a yearling when he was just starting to gallop, and he’s just one of those horses who has a tremendous presence about him. He gets over the ground really well. We felt going all the way back to then that he hopefully could turn out to be something special, and he has."

Triumph in Saturday's race will require something special in Magnum Moon's case, as he and Justify are the two main candidates to break the Apollo Curse.

Not since Apollo in 1882 has a horse won the Kentucky Derby without recording a start as a two-year-old, but Pletcher said he's got faith in Magnum Moon to break the 136-year drought:

My Boy Jack stands a chance, despite his outsider billing.

TVG broke down what's been a tough path to the Kentucky Derby for the three-year-old colt, who won the Lexington Stakes as a wild card in April to stage a valiant last-ditch run into the field:

Despite his lower pedigree compared with some peers, racing analyst David Aragona highlighted him as a unique quantity in terms of racing style:

Trainer J. Keith Desormeaux also appears to have a rising contender on his hands; journalist Chris Dachille noted his surge through the odds of late:

The right break in the field is all that's needed, and if not a true contender for the top spot, My Boy Jack could at least be considered each way, such is his capacity to finish near the fight.

He's placed in the top three in six of his seven starts and won two of his last three outings, making him one to watch out for late if the race stays close.