Post positions for the 2021 Kentucky Derby were drawn on Tuesday morning, triggering the annual debate among bettors as to which horses drew well, which drew poorly, and which might enjoy ideal trips in the “Run for the Roses.”
Some assumptions will be anecdotal, based on gut feelings and the relative draws of key contenders. Other conclusions will be based on cold, hard data—specifically, the post position statistics meticulously compiled by Churchill Downs since the starting gate was first introduced for the 1930 Kentucky Derby.
How many winners have broken from post 1? What’s the win percentage of post 15? What percent of horses finish in the money (first, second, or third) when breaking from post 5? Who was the last horse to win from post 14? How about the last horse to finish in the money from post 17?
If you find yourself asking any of these questions, we’ve got you covered with a convenient chart breaking down all the Kentucky Derby post position data:
Post -2021 Derby Starter- Record- Win %- ITM %- Last Winner- Last ITM
1 Known Agenda 91-8-5-5 8.8% 19.8% Ferdinand (1986) Lookin At Lee (2nd, 2017)
2 Like the King 91-7-5-13 7.7% 27.5% Affirmed (1978) Revolutionary (3rd, 2013)
3 Brooklyn Strong 91-5-6-8 5.5% 20.9% Real Quiet (1998) Golden Soul (2nd, 2013)
4 Keepmeinmind 91-5-6-4 5.5% 16.5% Super Saver (2010) Danza (3rd, 2014)
5 Sainthood 91-10-8-4 11.0% 24.2% Always Dreaming (2017) Audible (3rd, 2018)
6 O Besos 91-2-8-3 2.2% 14.3% Sea Hero (1993) Good Magic (2nd, 2018)
7 Mandaloun 90-7-6-6 7.8% 21.1% Justify (2018) Justify (1st, 2018)
8 Medina Spirit 90-8-5-5 8.9% 20.0% Mine That Bird (2009) Tacitus (3rd, 2019)
9 Hot Rod Charlie 87-4-5-8 4.6% 19.5% Riva Ridge (1972) Mr. Big News (3rd, 2020)
10 Midnight Bourbon 84-9-6-9 10.7% 28.6% Giacomo (2005) Paddy O’Prado (3rd, 2010)
11 Dynamic One 80-2-6-4 2.5% 15.0% Winning Colors (1988) Code of Honor (2nd, 2019)
12 Helium 76-3-3-3 3.9% 11.8% Canonero II (1971) Afleet Alex (3rd, 2005)
13 Hidden Stash 74-5-5-7 6.8% 23.0% Nyquist (2016) Nyquist (1st, 2016)
14 Essential Quality 64-2-6-5 3.1% 20.3% Carry Back (1961) Tiz the Law (2nd, 2020)
15 Rock Your World 59-6-2-1 10.2% 15.3% Authentic (2020) Authentic (1st, 2020)
16 King Fury 48-4-3-3 8.3% 20.8% Animal Kingdom (2011) Commanding Curve (2nd, 2014)
17 Highly Motivated 41-0-1-2 0.0% 7.3% None Forty Niner (2nd, 1988)
18 Super Stock 33-2-4-0 6.1% 18.2% Country House (2019) Country House (1st, 2019)
19 Soup and Sandwich 28-1-1-0 3.6% 7.1% I’ll Have Another (2012) I’ll Have Another (1st, 2012)
20 Bourbonic 17-1-0-1 5.9% 11.8% Big Brown (2008) Big Brown (1st, 2008)
A few key takeaways from the chart are as follows:
• Post 1 is often dreaded since it’s difficult for horses to secure racing room while breaking from the inside of a large field. But while post 1 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986, post 2, post 9, post 12, post 14, and post 17 have endured even worse luck. Post 14 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Carry Back in 1961, and horses breaking from post 17 have gone 0-for-41.
• Not every Kentucky Derby features a full field, so inside posts are more likely to compile high win percentages than outside posts. In a 10-horse field, each post has a 10% chance at producing the winner. In a 20-horse field, each post has a 5% chance.
• Keeping the above in mind, it’s noteworthy how many Derby winners have broken from outside posts in recent years. Seven of the last 10 winners (70%) started from post 13 or wider, suggesting unencumbered trips are more important than saving ground in the Kentucky Derby.
• But based on a strict reading of the statistics, post 5 is the best position a horse can hope to draw. Not only has post 5 produced the most winners (10), the most runners-up (eight, tied with post 6), and the highest win percentage (11%), it also produced a top-five finisher in every Kentucky Derby from 2012 through 2019. This impressive streak included the victorious duo of California Chrome (2014) and Always Dreaming (2017).
• Post 15 has been particularly advantageous in the last decade, producing Kentucky Derby winners Orb (2013), American Pharoah (2015), and Authentic (2020).
Will Highly Motivated become the first Kentucky Derby winner to break from post 17? Will longshot Sainthood add to the decorated resume of post 5? Will Known Agenda overcome the dreaded rail draw? Will Like the King, Hot Rod Charlie, Helium, or Essential Quality reverse the long losing streaks for their respective post positions?
We’ll find out on the first Saturday in May.
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