Kentucky Derby hopeful Mor Spirit reacts as he gets a bath outside Barn 33 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, May 4, 2016.
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McLaughlin has saddled six Kentucky Derby starters, including 2005 runner-up Closing Argument.
O’Neill has the favorite this time in the undefeated Nyquist.
7-0 in his career – will attempt to become the first Kentucky Derby champion to win from post No. 13 since Smarty Jones in 2004.
Pletcher, 48, has won the Eclipse Award as leading trainer seven times, taking home the honor most recently in 2014.
O’Neill had hoped to be outside of Danzing Candy, Outwork and Mohaymen, so jockey Mario Gutierrez could keep an eye on them. Nyquist capped off his 2015 campaign with a triumph in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) at Keeneland.
“I do think that you get a lot horses that run their race out of the Arkansas Derby in the Kentucky Derby through history”, Asmussen said. “The whole team is pumped up”.
Exaggerator, who made a late run to win the Santa Anita Derby, drew the No. 11 post and was assigned odds of 8-1 as the second-choice in the Morning Line.
Pletcher, 48, who has run as many as five in one Derby, tries again with a pair of 15-1 shots: Outwork and Destin. Both are trained by Steve Asmussen.
Junior Alvarado will ride Mohaymen, at 10-1 on the line, and break from post position 14.
The Kentucky Derby will be carried by NBC with a 3 ½-hour telecast from 4-7:30 p.m. The victor of the 1 ¼-mile first leg of the Triple Crown with 20 starters will receive $1,631,600.
Bob Baffert, who trained American Pharoah to last year’s Triple Crown, has one starter – Mor Spirit, who was assigned gate 17. “I like being in that auxiliary gate, and I’ve had some luck running out of there with seconds or thirds, so it’s fine”, Stevens said.
“I was teasing Erik that he should sign as a free agent with the Wings and he said he would never play for the Wings”, said the owner, who is now based in Southern California. The race wasn’t going to surprise him.
The only horse who appeared to be significantly compromised by post position was Trojan Nation, who comes into the race winless and drew the dreaded No. 1 hole.
Grade III winners in the race are Samuel Henderson’s Suddenbreakingnews, Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Oscar Nominated and Shadwell Stable’s Shagaf.
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That fee boosted the Derby purse to $2,391,600 if 20 horses start. The horse is known to be unpredictable in starting gate, and he will break from the No. 8 post.
