Trainer Todd Pletcher taking 3 contenders to the gate for Saturday's Kentucky Derby 148

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Trainer Todd Pletcher will take three contenders to the gate for Kentucky Derby 148: Charge It, Mo Donegal and Pioneer of Medina.

Pletcher has had 59 Derby starter and he calls the Derby "the most exciting day in racing."

Charge It will break from post eight, and Pioneer of Medina — a half-brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah — will break from the post 11.

The post draw didn't go as planned for Mo Donegal, which drew the one post, but Pletcher said he still believes in the colt.

"As a rule, you want to avoid the one post," he said. "I do believe it makes a difference with the new starting gate with 20 stalls in it. It gives you a little more room. He's won twice from the one hole. He won the Wood Memorial, in his last start, from the one and he won the Remsen as a 2-year-old. He's got a lot of experience in that situation and getting kick back. So I think he's pretty professi0nal. So for any of the horses we have, he's certainly the one most suited to go from the one hole."

Pletcher continues to train his Derby horses and feels all three are training well but he is hoping each will peak for the big race.

"They really are all three doing great," he said. "I like the way they've settled in here. All three of them have had two good works over the track. So all indicators are that all three are in a position to run, hopefully, the best race of their careers, which is what you need them to do on this day."

After chasing roses for years, Pletcher finally won the Derby in 2010 with Super Saver and again in 2017 with Always Dreaming.

"There's just so much that goes into it," he said. "If you look at a horse like Charge It — Mandy Pope and Whisper Hill Farm — they bought the mare, they bred this colt and they raised him from a baby. You just look at all the things that have to go right or that could potentially go wrong leading up to this, it's amazing how many of them actually make it. And we've just been real fortunate. We've got a super group this year. Things have gone smoothly, and we were able to get enough points."

Pletcher also saddles three fillies for Friday's Kentucky Oaks, including favorite Nest at 5-2 on the morning line. His Goddess of Fire and Shahama are both 15-1.

The Kentucky Oaks is the 11th race Friday with a post time of 5:15 p.m.

The Kentucky Derby is race 12 on Saturday with a post time of 6:57 p.m.