Three horses earned excellent draws ahead of the Kentucky Derby after pole positions were drawn.
Before donning the most oversized hat and pouring a mint julep to sit down and watch the 148th Kentucky Derby, it’s important to know which horses saw favorable position draws for Saturday’s big race.
What makes a strong position? That result can depend on the track, and at the Kentucky Derby, since 1930, the two posts with the most wins are the No. 5 post with 10 victories and the No. 10 post with nine.
Last year saw the No. 7 post win when Mandaloun won, giving that position its eighth victory. Always Dreaming was the last No. 5 post to win in 2017, and the last No.10 post was Giacomo in 2005.
Kentucky Derby 2022 post positions
On Monday, the 20 horses competing find out where they will line up for the race as No. 3 Epicenter and No. 10 Zandon claimed two strong positions. That No. 7 post is also an excellent place to be, so Crown Pride would be the third horse that should be happy with their draw.
The No.3 post has seen five victories, six-second places, and eight third places since 1930. Real Quiet was the last to win in 1998, and Golden Soul finished runner up in 2013.
While it hasn’t seen a winner in over 20 years, Epicenter is highly favorable and a horse that has a lot of momentum coming into the Derby.
Zandon is also highly favorable, and with them running out of the No. 10 post, it’s safe to say he won the draw on Monday.
1: Mo Donegal
2: Happy Jack
3: Epicenter
4: Summer Is Tomorrow
5: Smile Happy
6: Messier
7: Crown Pride
8: Charge It
9: Tiz The Bomb
10: Zandon
11: Pioneer of Medina
12: Taiba
13: Simplification
14: Barber Road
15: White Abarrio
16: Cyberknife
17: Classic Causeway
18: Tawny Port
19: Zozos
20: Ethereal Road
For Kentucky Derby, avoiding being right against the wall is the way to go, while the higher post numbers tend to have a lot of ground to cover, so they aren’t as likely to win.
In the 16-20th posts, there have only been eight winners since 1930.
Being right in the middle seems to be the sweet spot, so drawing No.5 to No.10 usually is when owners will get excited.
Anything could happen, but one of the biggest advantages can be where the horse starts, and ahead of the draft, those three are the ones who should feel confident.
