The Kentucky Derby Post Positions draw is well behind us, but the lineup of horses changed after Thursday's defection of Rodriguez and Friday's withdrawal of Grande. Baeza is now in, slotting into Post 19 while wearing the No. 21 saddle cloth. Make sure you're betting the correct horse number when analyzing the Kentucky Derby odds!
🏇 2025 Kentucky Derby post positions and morning line odds
The draw for the 2025 Kentucky Derby is crucial as betting lines shift depending on where certain horses start, notably the No. 1 and the furthest outside positions.
| Cloth # | Post Position | Horse | Trainer / Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Citizen Bull | Bob Baffert / Martin Garcia | 20/1 |
| 2 | 2 | Neoequos | Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Luis Saez | 30/1 |
| 3 | 3 | Final Gambit | Brad Cox / Luan Machado | 30/1 |
| 5 | 4 | American Promise | D. Wayne Lukas / Nik Juarez | 30/1 |
| 6 | 5 | Admire Daytona | Yukihiro Kato / Christophe Lemaire | 30/1 |
| 7 | 6 | Luxor Cafe | Noriyuki Hori / Joao Moreira | 15/1 |
| 8 | 7 | Journalism | Michael McCarthy / Umberto Rispoli | 3/1 |
| 9 | 8 | Burnham Square | Ian Wilkes / Brian Hernandez Jr. | 12/1 |
| 11 | 9 | Flying Mohawk | Whit Beckman / Joseph Ramos | 30/1 |
| 12 | 10 | East Avenue | Brendan Walsh / Manny Franco | 20/1 |
| 13 | 11 | Publisher | Steve Asmussen / Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 20/1 |
| 14 | 12 | Tiztastic | Steve Asmussen / Joel Rosario | 20/1 |
| 15 | 13 | Render Judgement | Ken McPeek / Julien Leparoux | 30/1 |
| 16 | 14 | Coal Battle | Lonnie Briley / Juan Vargas | 30/1 |
| 17 | 15 | Sandman | Mark Casse / Jose Ortiz | 6/1 |
| 18 | 16 | Sovereignty | Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado | 5/1 |
| 19 | 17 | Chunk of Gold | Ethan West / Jareth Loveberry | 30/1 |
| 20 | 18 | Owen Almighty | Brian Lynch / Javier Castellano | 30/1 |
| 21 | 19 | Baeza | John A. Shirreffs / Flavien Prat | 12/1 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Racing.
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🌹 Kentucky Derby wins by post position
Where Kentucky Derby horses start can either give them an advantage or a disadvantage right out of the gate. Here are the post positions that claim the most Kentucky Derby titles since the introduction of the starting gate in 1930.
Post No. 17 has never won the Kentucky Derby, and only three No. 17 horses have finished in the money in 42 overall starts.
| Post Position | Wins | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Ferdinand (1986) |
| 2 | 7 | Affirmed (1978) |
| 3 | 6 | Mystik Dan (2024) |
| 4 | 5 | Super Saver (2010) |
| 5 | 10 | Always Dreaming (2017) |
| 6 | 2 | Sea Hero (1993) |
| 7 | 7 | Justify (2018) |
| 8 | 9 | Mage (2023) |
| 9 | 4 | Riva Ridge (1972) |
| 10 | 9 | Giacomo (2005) |
| 11 | 2 | Winning Colors (1988) |
| 12 | 3 | Canonero II (1971) |
| 13 | 5 | Nyquist (2016) |
| 14 | 2 | Carry Back (1961) |
| 15 | 6 | Authentic (2020) |
| 16 | 4 | Animal Kingdom (2011) |
| 17 | 0 | - |
| 18 | 2 | Country House (2019) |
| 19 | 1 | I'll Have Another (2012) |
| 20 | 2 | Rich Strike (2022) |
Best post position at the Kentucky Derby
In terms of producing Kentucky Derby winners as well as winning wagers, the best post position at the Kentucky Derby is gate No. 10. This middle spot boasts nine Derby champs and 24 horses in the money in 85 total starts (28.2%), edging out No. 5 with 10 race winners and 22 ITM finishes in 92 overall starts.
Worst post position at the Kentucky Derby
Gate No. 17 is the worst post position in the Kentucky Derby. No. 17 has yet to produce a Derby champ and has had only three horses finish in the money, through 43 overall starts. No. 6 hasn’t fared that well either, with just two winners and only 13 horses ITM through 92 starts.
📈 Wins-by-post-position trends
- Post No. 5 boasts the most Kentucky Derby winners with 10, most recently Always Dreaming in 2017. Posts No. 10 (nine winners) and No. 15 (six winners) are the next two most successful starting positions for the Kentucky Derby.
- Post No. 17 has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner since the starting gate was introduced in 1930, however, due to race dropouts No. 17 has had only 42 starts. With that in mind, No. 6 is also a bad starting position with only two wins in 92 starts.
- Drawing the rail in post No. 1 is challenging but not impossible, as it’s produced eight Derby champions — the last being Ferdinand in 1986.
- The longest Derby drought between winners is post No. 14, which last boasted a winner in 1961 (Carry Back) and has only claimed two champs in 67 starts.
Kentucky Derby betting resources
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💰 In-the-money finishes by post position
When it comes to Kentucky Derby betting, it’s all about finishing in the money (ITM): first, second or third. Here’s a look at the historic Kentucky Derby post position returns for bets to win, place, or show.
| Post Position | ITM | Last ITM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Lookin at Lee (2017) |
| 2 | 26 | Sierra Leone (2024) |
| 3 | 21 | Mystik Dan (2024) |
| 4 | 15 | Danza (2014) |
| 5 | 22 | Audible (2018) |
| 6 | 13 | Good Magic (2018) |
| 7 | 20 | Mandaloun (2021) |
| 8 | 20 | Mage (2023) |
| 9 | 18 | Hot Rod Charlie (2021) |
| 10 | 24 | Paddy O'Prado (2010) |
| 11 | 13 | Forever Young (2024) |
| 12 | 9 | Afleet Alex (2005) |
| 13 | 19 | Nyquist (2016) |
| 14 | 15 | Angel of Empire (2023) |
| 15 | 9 | Authentic (2020) |
| 16 | 10 | Commanding Curve (2014) |
| 17 | 3 | Forty Niner (1988) |
| 18 | 6 | Country House (2019) |
| 19 | 2 | I'll Have Another (2012) |
| 20 | 2 | Rich Strike (2022) |
🚩 Using post position to handicap the Kentucky Derby
When handicapping the Kentucky Derby, respect the historical production from certain post positions but put more weight into how the individual horses have performed in those starting gates. Recognize how a horse wants to run the race, either setting the pace or stalking and how the post position influences that strategy.
If a horse draws one of the four inside positions, look back at its previous races and if it has raced from similar starting gates as well as investigate the respective jockey and how they’ve dealt with the early inside position.
Horses on the inside are often pinched up against the rail and bumped as jockeys fight for the inside line early into the race. Some jockeys holding an inside gate will push the horse hard from the start to avoid that traffic but run the risk of leaving the horse gassed for the remainder of the race.
Horses on the outside don’t find themselves getting banged around as much early on, which lends itself more to stalking paces who look to push hard late in the race. However, outside track position can be tough to make up if the early pace is fast and the horse isn’t used to the 1 1/4-mile distance.
📜 History of post positions at the Kentucky Derby
Post positions have been used in the past 92 Kentucky Derby races, with the starting gate first being introduced in the 1930 Run for the Roses. Prior to proper gates, horses were lined up as best they could behind a series of wires. This format led to unfair positioning and unruly horses bumping and kicking other competitors before the start of the race.
With a field of up to 20 horses, the Kentucky Derby required two separate starting gates (most commonly 14-horse gates) until 2020, when a custom 20-horse gate was debuted. The decision for the larger gate was based on the safety of horses and riders, eliminating extra spacing between the main and auxiliary gates that caused those horses on the outside to recklessly fight for rail position against a bigger break from the main gate.
Kentucky Derby post position FAQs
The official starting lineup for the Kentucky Derby is: 1 Citizen Bull, 2 Neoequos, 3 Final Gambit, 4 Rodriguez, 5 American Promise, 6 Admire Daytona, 7 Luxor Cafe, 8 Journalism, 9 Burnham Square, 10 Grande, 11 Flying Mohawk, 12 East Avenue, 13 Publisher, 14 Tiztastic, 15 Render Judgement, 16 Coal Battle, 17 Sandman, 18 Sovereignty, 19 Chunk of Gold, 20 Owen Almighty, AE 21 Baeza.
The best post position for the Kentucky Derby is No. 10, which has produced nine winners and 24 horses in the money in 84 overall starts.
The worst post position for the Kentucky Derby is No. 17, which has never produced a winner and has had only three horses finish in the money in 42 overall starts.
Post No. 17 has never won the Kentucky Derby and only three No. 17 horses have finished in the money in 42 overall starts.
