Every year since May 17, 1875, when Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby, the Run for the Roses has been contested. Not world wars, economic depressions, pandemics nor anything else has caused the Kentucky Derby to skip a year, making it the longest continuously held sporting event in the United States as a field of 20 3-year-olds chase the biggest prize in horse racing on Saturday for the 150th time.

The favorite to win the anniversary race will be Fierceness. The Florida Derby winner was established as a 5-2 morning-line favorite at the post-position draw one week ago, and bettors are backing the colt, too. When betting closed on Friday night, Fierceness was at 9-5 to win the 150th Kentucky Derby.

The winner will receive $3.1 million of the race’s $5 million purse and the mantle of the 2024 Triple Crown candidate.

Post time for the Kentucky Derby is 5:57 p.m. CDT Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky. Showers are expected at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Other major stakes winners in the field include Sierra Leone from the Blue Grass Stakes, Catching Freedom from the Louisiana Derby, Forever Young from the UAE Derby, Stronghold from the Santa Anita Derby and Resilience from the Wood Memorial.

Absent is Arkansas Derby winner Muth. The colt is trained by Bob Baffert, whose ban by Churchill Downs extends through the end of the year.

Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom lined up behind Fierceness in the morning-line odds, but the early bettors like Forever Young a little better than Catching Freedom before Saturday’s bets started rolling in.

NBC Sports starts televised coverage of the Kentucky Derby at 11 a.m. Saturday on USA Network. NBC takes over the coverage at 1:30 p.m. The Kentucky Derby also will be streamed live via NBCSports.com, Peacock and the NBC Sports app.

The field for the Kentucky Derby, with post position and morning-line odds/betting odds (as of the close of betting on Friday), includes:

Post Position 1: Dornoch 20-1 morning line/15-1 betting

Dornoch had won three races in row, including the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, when the colt couldn’t keep pace with Sierra Leone’s blistering stretch run in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 6. Four months earlier, Dornoch had beaten Sierra Leone by a nose at the Remsen. Trainer: Danny Gargan. Jockey: Luis Saez. Record: 6-3-2-0. Earnings: $552,275. Pedigree: Puca by Good Magic.

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Post Position 2: Sierra Leone 3-1/6-1

Sierra Leone’s only loss came by a nose to Dornoch at the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 2. The stretch-running colt bounced back to win the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17 and the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 6, looking especially strong at the end of his final tuneup. Trainer: Chad Brown. Jockey: Tyler Gafflione. Record: 4-3-1-0. Earnings: $918,000. Pedigree: Heavenly Love by Gun Runner.

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Post Position 3: Mystik Dan 20-1/27-1

Mystik Dan became a Kentucky Derby contender by winning the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 3 by 8 lengths over Just Steel. The colt’s final derby prep didn’t go as well as Mystik Dan finished 4.5 lengths behind Just Steel, which ran 2 lengths behind race winner Muth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30. Trainer: Kenny McPeek. Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Record: 6-2-1-1. Earnings: $641,360. Pedigree: Ma’am by Goldencents.

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Post Position 4: Catching Freedom 8-1/9-1

Catching Freedom has two victories sandwiching a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes in 2024. The colt enters the Kentucky Derby off a 1-length victory in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23. Catching Freedom was 11th at the three-quarter pole and passed three runners in the stretch. Trainer: Brad Cox, who saddled 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun. Jockey: Flavien Prat, who rode 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House. Record: 5-3-0-1. Earnings: $802,000. Pedigree: Catch My Drift by Constitution.

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Post Position 5: Catalytic 30-1/42-1

The lightly raced colt made his big-time debut in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30 and ran second, but that was 13.5 lengths behind Fierceness. Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. Jockey: Jose Ortiz. Record: 3-1-2-0. Earnings: $216,825. Pedigree: One Show Only by Catalina Cruiser.

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Post Position 6: Just Steel 20-1/34-1

The well-campaigned colt ran seven times as 2-year-old but finished seventh and sixth in the races that mattered – the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes and Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. And Just Steel has a seventh-place run at the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on Feb. 24. But the rest of Just Steel’s 3-year-old schedule has been second-place showings in the Smarty Jones, the Grade 3 Southwest and Grade 1 Arkansas. Trainer: Wayne Lukas, who saddled Kentucky Derby winners Winning Colors in 1988, Thunder Gulch in 1995, Grindstone in 1996 and Charismatic in 1999. Jockey: Keith Asmussen. Record: 11-2-4-1. Earnings: $724,545. Pedigree: Irish Lights by Justify, which won the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

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Post Position 7: Honor Marie 20-1/16-1

The colt’s two 2-year-old wins include the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. As a 3-year-old, Honor Marie had to run hard to come in fifth in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17 and had a runner-up finish by 1 length to Catching Freedom in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23 as both made strong stretch runs. Trainer: Whit Beckman. Jockey: Ben Curtis. Record: 5-2-2-0. Earnings: $526,175. Pedigree: Dame Marie by Honor Code.

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Post Position 8: Just A Touch 10-1/17-1

Just A Touch didn’t run as a 2-year-old. After breaking his maiden at the Fair Grounds on Jan. 27, Just A Touch ran second by 2 lengths to Deterministic in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 2 and 1.5 lengths to Sierra Leone in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 6. Trainer: Brad Cox, who saddled 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun. Jockey: Florent Geroux, who rode 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun. Record: 3-1-2-0. Earnings: $281,700. Pedigree: Touching Beauty by Justify, who won the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

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Post Position 9: T O Password 30-1/61-1

The Japanese colt has only two races, but he won both. Now T O Password is at Churchill Downs for his first U.S. outing. Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi. Jockey: Kimura Kazushi. Record: 2-2-0-0. Earnings: $163,339. Pedigree: T O Rachel by Copano Rickey.

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Post Position 10: Forever Young 10-1/8-1

The colt has not lost in five outings. The first three came in Japan. The past two have been in Saudi Arabia, including the Grade 2 UAE Derby on March 30. Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi. Jockey: Ryusei Sakai. Record: 5-5-0-0. Earnings: $2,049,451. Pedigree: Forever Darling by Real Steel.

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Post Position 11: Track Phantom 20-1/52-1

When Track Phantom won the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on March 20, the colt had extended its winning streak to three races in its biggest outing to date. But Sierra Leone overtook Track Phantom for a half-length win in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17 and the colt couldn’t hold the lead down the stretch and faded to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23. Trainer: Steve Asmussen. Jockey: Joel Rosario, who rode 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Record: 7-3-2-1. Earnings: $405,000. Pedigree: Miss Sunset by Quality Road.

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Post Position 12: West Saratoga 50-1/32-1

West Saratoga’s seven 2-year-old outings included a victory in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 16 at Churchill Downs and a fifth-place run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. The colt’s 3-year-old races have yielded two seconds and one third – most recently a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 23 by 4 lengths to Endlessly. Trainer: Larry Demeritte. Jockey: Jesus Castanon. Record: 10-2-5-1. Earnings: $363,640. Pedigree: Mo Wicked by Exaggerator.

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Post Position 13: Endlessly 30-1/52-1

Endlessly has won all his races but one – the one against the toughest competition. On Nov. 3, the colt came in eighth at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf as he faded in the stretch. Endlessly is coming off a victory in his first race outside California – a 4-length win over West Saratoga in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on March 23. The colt was running well at the end of both of his 3-year-old outings. Trainer: Michael McCarthy. Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. Record: 6-5-0-0. Earnings: $707,200. Pedigree: Dream Fuhrever by Oscar Performance.

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Post Position 14: Domestic Product 30-1/38-1

Domestic Product’s 2-year-old season ended in a dud – a seventh-place showing at the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 2. But the colt has rebounded to make the Kentucky Derby by finishing second to Hades in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3 and winning the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby by a neck over No More Time in a rough-and-rugged run to the wire. Trainer: Chad Brown. Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Record: 5-2-1-0. Earnings: $314,200. Pedigree: Goods and Services by Practical Joke.

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Post Position 15: Grand Mo The First 50-1/64-1

Grand Mo The First won his first two outings and has run third in every race since. That includes the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 and the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30. Trainer: Victor Barboza Jr. Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo. Record: 6-2-0-4. Earnings: $214,650. Pedigree: Lilies So Fair by Uncle Mo.

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Post Position 16: Fierceness 5-2/9-5

As a 2-year-old, Fierceness bounced back from a seventh-place showing in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on Oct. 7 to capture the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by 6.25 lengths on Nov. 3. The colt’s 3-year-old campaign had a disappointing start as he faded against Hades and Domestic Product in a third-place run at the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3. Fierceness rediscovered his speed and dominated the Grade 1 Florida Derby for a 13.5-length win on March 30. Trainer: Todd Pletcher, who saddled Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. Jockey: John Velazquez, who rode Kentucky Derby winners Animal Kingdom in 2011, Always Dreaming in 2017 and Authentic in 2020. Record: 5-3-0-1. Earnings: $1,703,850. Pedigree: Nonna Bella by City Of Light.

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Post Position 17: Stronghold 20-1/43-1

Never worse than second in six outings, Stronghold comes to Churchill Downs off a pair of victories. On Feb. 18, the colt won the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby, then ran a stronger race to beat Imagination by a neck in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6. Trainer: Phil D’Amato. Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Record: 6-3-3-0. Earnings: $827,200. Pedigree: Spectator by Ghostzapper.

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Post Position 18: Resilience 20-1/28-1

Resilience wasn’t up to Sierra Leone, Track Phantom and Catching Freedom as he faded to a fourth-place finish at the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17. But the colt came back with more speed and stamina for a 2.25-length in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 6. Trainer: Bill Mott, who saddled 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House. Jockey: Junior Alvarado. Record: 6-2-1-1. Earnings: $494,630. Pedigree: Meadowsweet by Into Mischief.

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Post Position 19: Society Man 50-1/73-1

The gelding didn’t show much until breaking his maiden at Aqueduct on March 9. But slipped into the Kentucky Derby with a boost in performance at the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 6, when Society Man ran second to Resilience by 2.25 lengths. Trainer: Danny Gargan. Jockey: Frankie Dettori. Record: 5-1-1-1. Earnings: $196,750. Pedigree: You Cheated by Good Magic.

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Post Position 20: Epic Ride 30-1/63-1

Epic Ride got into the Kentucky Derby field when Encino scratched on Tuesday. The colt has been going the wrong way in 2024, at least by finishes, after not reaching the track until December. After winning at Turfway Park in his second outing on Jan. 5, Epic Ride won the Leonatus Stakes on Feb. 2, finished second in the John Battaglia Memorial on March 2 and came in third in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 6 at Keeneland in his first race away from Turfway. Trainer: John Ennis. Jockey: Adam Beschizza. Record: 5-2-2-1. Earnings: $253,166. Pedigree: Pick A Time by Blame.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.