Rain arrives for start of Kentucky Derby weekend

Rain is pelting Churchill Downs at the start of an expected a three-day stretch of wet weather leading up to the 143rd Kentucky Derby.

The outlook for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday isn't encouraging, with a 60 percent chance of rain forecast.

However, the rain could end well before the Derby on Saturday. While showers are forecast in the morning, the storm could move out before the scheduled post time of 6:46 p.m. The race will air on NBC.

The horses at the starting gate and their odds are:

1. Lookin at Lee (20-1)
2. Thunder Snow (20-1)
3. Fast and Accurate (50-1)
4. Untrapped (30-1)
5. Always Dreaming (5-1)
6. State of Honor (30-1)
7. Girvin (15-1)
8. Hence (15-1)
9. Irap (20-1)
10. Gunnevera (15-1)
11. Battle of Midway (30-1)
12. Sonneteer (50-1)
13. J Boys Echo (20-1)
14. Classic Empire (4-1)
15. McCraken (5-1)
16. Tapwrit (20-1)
17. Irish War Cry (6-1)
18. Gormley (15-1)
19. Practical Joke (20-1)
20. Patch (30-1)

Patch, a one-eyed colt, is a fan favorite. His left eye was removed last June because of an inflammation.

To everyone who says a horse without a left eye can't win the @KentuckyDerby from Post 20. pic.twitter.com/tu4b0VVway

— Patch (@PatchHorse) May 3, 2017

Since the surgery, Patch has raced a few times. He finished as the runner-up in last month's Louisiana Derby.

Patch is the son of Belmont Stakes winner "Union Rags."

The one-eyed horse even has his own Twitter page.

For those who chose a favorite horse based on their name, there is a chart that tells people what their Kentucky Derby horse name would be based on the letter of their first name and their birth month.

RELATED: What is your Kentucky Derby Horse Name?

Preakness, the second jewel in the triple crown, will take place in Baltimore on Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.