Kentucky Derby Posts Draw Set for Tuesday; Twenty Horse Field Likely for Saturday

HRFLA Staff Report

At 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Churchill Downs will hold the post position draw for Saturday's $3 million  Kentucky Derby (Grade 1).

The field for the 1 1/4 mile dirt stakes for 3-year-olds  will be limited to twenty horses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

On Monday, Churchill Downs listed these horses as the likely starters-- in order of preference based on points earned in qualifying races. Jockeys and trainers are in parentheses.

Essential Quality (Luis Saez, Brad Cox); Hot Rod Charlie (Flavien Prat, Doug O’Neill); Super Stock (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen); Like the King (Drayden Van Dyke, Wesley Ward); Known Agenda (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher); Rock Your World (Joel Rosario, John Sadler); Bourbonic (Kendrick Carmouche, Todd Pletcher); Medina Spirit (John Velazquez, Bob Baffert); Midnight Bourbon (Mike Smith, Steve Asmussen); Mandaloun (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox); Highly Motivated (Javier Castellano, Chad Brown); Helium (Julien Leparoux, Mark Casse); Soup and Sandwich (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse); Dynamic One (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher); Sainthood (Corey Lanerie, Todd Pletcher); Hidden Stash (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver); O Besos (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley); King Fury (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Keepmeinmind (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro); Brooklyn Strong (Umberto Rispoli, Danny Velazquez).

Essential Quality, unbeaten in five career starts, will almost certainly be the betting favorite.

Among other top contenders are: Known Agenda, winner of the Florida Derby (Grade 1); Rock Your World, winner of the Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1); and Good Time Charlie, winner of the Louisiana Derby (Grade 2).

The likely field also includes Soup and Sandwich, who finished second in the Florida Derby, along with Helium and Hidden Stash, the winner and second place finisher in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2).

Scheduled post for the 147th Kentucky Derby will be 6:57 p.m. It will be the 12th race on a 14-race card. 

The NBC Sports cable channel will have live coverage from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. NBC's over-the-air channels will have live coverage from 2:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

All times listed above are Eastern.

On Tuesday, Churchill Downs also will draw posts for the thirteen other races on the Saturday card. The Kentucky Derby is one of Saturday's seven stakes races.

Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs are among pari-mutuels that will have simulcast betting on Saturday's races at Churchill Downs.