The 2026 Kentucky Derby post positions have been heavily impacted by scratches.
No. 13 Silent Tactic, No. 20 Fulleffort, No. 5 Right to Party, and No. 9 The Puma have all been withdrawn. No. 21 Great White, No. 22 Ocelli, and No. 23 Robusta will all now be allowed to run as one of the Kentucky Derby horses.
Post positions frequently impact the Kentucky Derby odds, and this year will be no different with Renegade trying to break a rail-post skid that dates back to 1986.
Check out the full field and odds for the 152nd "Run for the Roses," to be run on Saturday, May 2.
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🏇 2026 Kentucky Derby post positions and morning line odds
The draw for the 2026 Kentucky Derby is crucial, as the lines will shift depending on where certain horses start, notably the No. 1 and the furthest outside positions.
The post position draw for this year's race was on Saturday, April 25, 2026, with the horses racing out of the following gates:
| Cloth # | Post Position | Horse | Trainer / Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Renegade | Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 4/1 |
| 2 | 2 | Albus | Riley Mott / Manny Franco | 30/1 |
| 3 | 3 | Intrepido | Jeff Mullins / Hector Berrios | 50/1 |
| 4 | 4 | Litmus Test | Bob Baffert / Martin Garcia | 30/1 |
| 6 | 5 | Commandment | Brad Cox / Luis Saez | 6/1 |
| 7 | 6 | Danon Bourbon | Manabu Ikezoe / Atsuya Nishimura | 20/1 |
| 8 | 7 | So Happy | Mark Glatt / Mike Smith | 15/1 |
| 10 | 8 | Wonder Dean | Daisuke Takayanagi / Ryusei Sakai | 30/1 |
| 11 | 9 | Incredibolt | Riley Mott / Jaime Torres | 20/1 |
| 12 | 10 | Chief Wallabee | Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado | 8/1 |
| 14 | 11 | Potente | Bob Baffert / Juan Hernandez | 20/1 |
| 15 | 12 | Emerging Market | Chad Brown / Flavien Prat | 15/1 |
| 16 | 13 | Pavlovian | Doug O'Neill / Edwin Maldonado | 30/1 |
| 17 | 14 | Six Speed | Bhupat Seemar / Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 50/1 |
| 18 | 15 | Further Ado | Brian Lynch / John Velazquez | 6/1 |
| 19 | 16 | Golden Tempo | Cherie DeVaux / Jose Ortiz | 30/1 |
| 21 | 17 | Great White | John Ennis / Alex Achard | 50/1 |
| 22 | 18 | Ocelli | D. Whitworth Beckman / Tyler Gaffalione | 50/1 |
| 23 | 19 | Robusta | Doug O'Neill / Cristian Torres | 50/1 |
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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 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 | 5 | Sovereignty (2025) |
| 17 | 0 | N/A |
| 18 | 3 | Country House (2019) |
| 19 | 1 | I'll Have Another (2012) |
| 20 | 2 | Rich Strike (2022) |
No horse breaking from stall No. 17 has ever won the Kentucky Derby, with only three runners hitting the board.
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 86 total starts (27.9%), edging out No. 5 with 10 race winners and 22 ITM finishes in 93 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 44 overall starts. No. 6 hasn’t fared that well either, with just two winners and only 13 horses ITM through 93 starts.
📈 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 (44 starts). With that in mind, No. 6 is also a bad starting position with only two wins in 93 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 69 starts.
💰 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 | 21 | Journalism (2025) |
| 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 | 11 | Sovereignty (2025) |
| 17 | 3 | Forty Niner (1988) |
| 18 | 6 | Country House (2019) |
| 19 | 3 | Baeza (2025) |
| 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, stalking, or closing, and how post position influences that strategy.
If a horse draws one of the four inside positions, look back at its previous races and see if it has raced from similar starting gates.
Horses on the inside are often pinched up against the rail and bumped as jockeys fight for the inside line early in the race. Some jockeys holding an inside gate will push the horse hard from the start to avoid a traffic jam, 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 a stalking or closing trip. However, racing wide can be tough to overcome, especially if the horse doesn't have the natural stamina for 10 furlongs.
📜 History of post positions at the Kentucky Derby
Post positions have been used in the past 93 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 (a 14-horse gate and an auxiliary gate) 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.
Kentucky Derby post position FAQs
Post No. 16 won the 2025 Kentucky Derby, with No. 18 Sovereignty (moved in two stalls following scratches) prevailing.
The post draw takes place on Saturday, April 25 at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET, and we'll know who the favorite is just after the post positions become official.
Horses are assigned a number that coincides with their Kentucky Derby post position, but their post can change based on scratches prior to the race. In 2025, No. 4 Rodriguez and No. 10 Grande scratched, and all horses that drew outside of them moved inward the appropriate number of stalls. For instance, No. 21 Baeza broke from post No. 19 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
Up to 24 horses can enter the Kentucky Derby, but only 20 can run. Horses No. 21-24 are called "also eligibles" and will only run in the event of a scratch (or multiple scratches) from the body of the field before 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday, May 1.
