by Jeff Apel

Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.’s confidence in Grade 1 winner Big Brown is one of several storylines upon which NBC Sports plans to focus during its 2 1/2-hour telecast of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

NBC’s telecast begins at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday with “Access at the Derby,” which includes the “Kentucky Derby Red Carpet Show.”

Pre-race coverage begins at 5 p.m. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is 6:04 p.m.

Dutrow has been anything but reserved in his opinions about Big Brown in the days leading up to the opening leg of the Triple Crown. His willingness to declare the Florida Derby (G1) winner the best horse in the field of 20 three-year-olds caught the attention of Bob Neumeier, who along with retired jockey and Racing Hall of Fame member Gary Stevens will serve as analysts for Saturday’s broadcast.

“It’s unusual for a trainer to be so boastful about a horse leading up to a race,” Neumeier said during a conference call on Thursday. “Most of them are very, very cautious, superstitious, afraid to say too much.

“Dutrow has been anything but that. He’s been loud. He’s been opinionated. He’s, some would say, a little cocky. He’s put his neck on the line with this horse, but I kind of like that honesty. I kind of like his Muhammad Ali kind of view. He loves his horse.”

IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. own Big Brown, who broke from the outside post in a field of 12 en route to winning the Florida Derby in his previous start on March 29 at Gulfstream Park.

When post-positions were drawn for the Kentucky Derby on Wednesday, Dutrow and IEAH Stables chose post 20, which means the Boundary colt will break from the outside starting spot for the second straight start.

The Kentucky Derby has been run with 20 or more starters 15 times. The only winner from post 20 in 133 previous runnings of the race was Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.

“Big Brown has lots of assets,” NBC co-host Tom Hammond said. “He also has some big question marks. Just about every horse in the field you can say that about.”

Churchill Downs Handicapper Mike Battaglia tabbed Big Brown the 3-to-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s race. Battaglia will serve as a contributing analyst and handicapper for NBC’s broadcast.

“This is my 30th straight Kentucky Derby,” Battaglia said. “Every one of them is different. Every one of them is tough to handicap. But they’re all special in their own way.

“I just look for another great race on Saturday.”

Stevens likes Grade 1 winner Colonel John in Saturday’s race. The Tiznow colt made all six of his previous starts on synthetic surfaces in California for trainer Eoin Harty and owner-breeder WinStar Farm.

Battaglia tabbed Colonel John the 4-to-1 second choice on the morning line.

“It’s by no means a one-horse race,” Stevens said. “I love what I’ve seen from Colonel John. For the past ten days or so, he’s trained very, very good over this dirt surface.

“There’s been so much mentioned about him not racing on anything but synthetics. He gets over the ground very well [at Churchill].”

NBC began providing exclusive coverage of the Kentucky Derby 2001. The network and Churchill Downs Inc. reached an agreement in 2005 that gives NBC exclusive broadcast rights for the race from ’06 through ’10.

Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor