Kentucky Derby post draw, updated odds

The attraction for the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby is in, with a field of 20 horses getting their post positions on Tuesday morning. Pre-race favourite Justify took Post No. 7, an superb draw for the Bob Baffert thoroughbred, which tops the field at 3-1 odds.

Blended Citizen also characterized as an “also eligible” addition to the field, making the field 21 horses to get 20 posts. Blended Citizen would be drawn in if one of those 20 horses in the field can not run. Mendelssohn, trained by Aidan O’Brien, also drew a fantastic barrier at No. 14, and  will likely see their odds drop significantly with these posts, which are more towards the middle. The 10 saw some of the favorites get drawn, but Justify was the one to have picked.

Fan-favorite Audible took the fifth post, which historically has been extremely friendly to horses. Among the four horses in the race of Todd Fletcher Audible holds the best chance. Expect his odds to shorten. Lone Sailor, the horse of late Saints’ owner Tom Benson drew the No. 8 post. Present Saints’ owner Gayle Benson will be in attendance to watch Lone Sailor between Pelicans playoff games.

Favorite has to violate 100 year + drought
Justify, of course, currently has the best odds from barrier 7 at 3-1. The horse is currently currently looking to break the Apollo Curse. No horse has won without racing as a 2yo since 1882. Justify and Magnum Moon (6-1) would be the only two in this field that may end the 135-year-old curse.

Greatest and worst post positions
They can make all the difference in the scrum at the start of the race, although Post positions may not matter for the long haul. According to statistics No. 17 is the dreaded post position. No horse has ever won the Derby out of that gate, and only three’ve finished in the money. Solomini is a longshot at 30-1 to achieve that. Beyond this, only 1 winner has been yielded by Posts 18-20, and eight at the money finishes between them. Vino Rosso from No. 19 is one most likely to buck that trend at 12-1 odds.

Post No. 5 is the magic number, with 10 winners beginning from the gate. At 8-1 odds, Audible has capacity. 21 horses have finished in the cash from No. 5, exceeded only by Posts two (seven winners, 25 ITM finishes), run by Free Drop Billy in 30-1 odds; and 10 (nine winners, 24 ITM), possessed by My Boy Jack — at 30-1 odds.

Which post is the best depends upon the jockey and his luck in running. The pace of the race and how the jockey is able to adapt is always the key to any race, but much more in the endurance of the Kentucky Derby. That makes the Post Positions very important, in getting your horse into the position he likes to race. Justify gets the gun draw for mine, with the question mark if he will get the distance, he gets all the favors and can go forward or take a sit with a clean break from the barrier.

Kentucky Derby post draw, updated odds