UPDATE: Post positions were drawn, and favorite Nyquist will start from gate No. 13. Here's the full draw with morning line odds. Here's more about the post position draw and its impact on this year's field.
1. Trojan Nation (50-1)
2. Suddenbreakingnews (20-1)
3. Creator (10-1)
4. Mo Tom (20-1)
5. Gun Runner (10-1)
6. My Man Sam (20-1)
7. Oscar Nominated (50-1)
8. Lani (30-1)
9. Destin (15-1)
10. Whitmore (20-1)
11. Exaggerator (8-1)
12. Tom's Ready (30-1)
13. Nyquist (3-1)
14. Mohaymen (10-1)
15. Outwork (15-1)
16. Shagaf (20-1)
17. Mor Spirit (12-1)
18. Majesto (30-1)
19. Brody's Cause (12-1)
20. Danzing Candy (15-1)
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Odds for the 2016 Kentucky Derby have been posted in Las Vegas and offshore for months, but Wednesday evening, we'll get morning line odds from Churchill Downs following the post-position draw for the 142nd Kentucky Derby.
Post positions will play a big part in determining those odds, and there are certainly more favorable gates to run from in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby. Last year, we detailed how unfavorable the inside post positions can be, and where a trainer will want its horses to start from.
MORE: Biggest long shots to win Kentucky Derby | Derby records, leaders
In a 20-horse race, post position means more because there's less room to maneuver, especially on the inside. With a smaller field, a horse is less likely to get pinned along the rail. Some horses get trapped and effectively eliminated in the first quarter-mile of the Kentucky Derby because of bad position.
Since 1930, when Churchill Downs first used gates in the Kentucky Derby, the first post has ranked toward the middle of the pack in percentage of top-three finishes and win percentage. The sixth and 11th posts have fared among the worst.
But no horse running from the first post has finished in the top three since 1988, when Risen Star was third. The larger field sizes likely have something to do with that — there have been at least 15 horses in all but two Derbys since 1988. Several of the gates have been used fewer than 30 times due to smaller fields.
— Gate No. 17 produced a winner for the first time ever last year — American Pharoah.
— There's little difference in performance when grouping the posts by four — 1-4, 5-8, 9-13, etc. Roughly 22 percent of horses in gates 1-4 have finished in the top three, while the next three groupings of four are all separated by less than one percent, hovering around 19 percent.
MORE: List of Kentucky Derby winners | Must-see Kentucky Derby photos
— Positions No. 3 and 4 have been among the worst spots to start on the inside, producing a combined 43 bottom-three finishers.
— No horse has won from the No. 2 spot since Affirmed in 1978, but about 28 percent of entrants from that gate have finished in the top three, the second-highest mark of any post.
— Among the outside posts, No. 13 and No. 16 have produced the highest percentage of top-three finishes and the lowest percentage of bottom-three finishes.
When is the Kentucky Derby post position draw?
The 142nd Kentucky Derby post position draw will be start at 5:30 p.m. ET from Churchill Downs and begin shortly after that. It will take about 30 minutes.
What TV channel is showing the Kentucky Derby post position draw?
The draw will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Can I stream the Kentucky Derby post position draw?
You sure can. As always, NBCSN provides its sports coverage online, as well, through NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app.
What the Kentucky Derby morning line odds?
We'll update here with morning line odds after the post positions are drawn on Wednesday evening.