Post positions for the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby were set on Tuesday, giving horse bettors more to work with for handicapping Saturday’s race. Position #5 has historically performed the best as horses starting from that gate have won the race 14 times since 1900. It just so happens that one of this year’s top contenders, Audible, drew that position, perhaps providing the horse with an additional edge.
Justify, who’s shared time on top of the oddsboard leading up to the race with Mendelssohn, will start in position #7. Horses starting from that gate have won the race eight times since 1900. Right next to Justify in position #6 is another top contender in this year’s race, Good Magic, while Bolt d’Oro, who has the sixth-best odds to win the race, isn’t too far off at position #11.
Here’s the complete order and information for each horse. Below you’ll find the complete history of how many winners each position has produced since 1990. Updated odds and analysis from our horse betting expert Mike Dempsey can be found here.
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| Post Position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds (as of May 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Firenze Fire | Paco Lopez | Jason Servis | +6600 |
| 2 | Free Drop Billy | Robby Albarado | Bill Mott | +3500 |
| 3 | Promises Fulfilled | Corey Lanerie | Dale Romans | +5000 |
| 4 | Flameaway | Jose Lezcano | Mark Casse | +4500 |
| 5 | Audible | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | +650 |
| 6 | Good Magic | Jose Ortiz | Chad Brown | +800 |
| 7 | Justify | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert | +350 |
| 8 | Lone Sailor | James Graham | Tom Amoss | +5000 |
| 9 | Hofburg | Irad Ortiz Jr. | William I. Mott | +1500 |
| 10 | My Boy Jack | Kent Desormeaux | Keith Desormeaux | +1800 |
| 11 | Bolt d’Oro | Victor Espinoza | Mick Ruis | +850 |
| 12 | Enticed | Junior Alvarado | Kiaran McLaughlin | +2500 |
| 13 | Bravazo | Luis Contreras | D. Wayne Lukas | +6000 |
| 14 | Mendelssohn | Ryan Moore | Aidan O’Brien | +350 |
| 15 | Instilled Regard | Drayden Van Dyke | Jerry Hollendorfer | +6000 |
| 16 | Magnum Moon | Luis Saez | Todd Pletcher | +750 |
| 17 | Solomini | Flavien Prat | Bob Baffert | +2200 |
| 18 | Vino Rosso | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | +1200 |
| 19 | Noble Indy | Florent Geroux | Todd Pletcher | +3000 |
| 20 | Combatant | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Steve Asmussen | +6600 |
Odds as of May 2 at Sportsbook
| Post Position | Wins |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 9 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 11 |
| 5 | 14 |
| 6 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 |
| 8 | 11 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 10 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 12 | 3 |
| 13 | 5 |
| 14 | 2 |
| 15 | 5 |
| 16 | 4 |
| 17 | 0 |
| 18 | 1 |
| 19 | 1 |
| 20 | 2 |
