Kentucky Derby 2012 Post Positions: Union Rags Will Shine Despite Starting Spot

As one of the favorites going in to Saturday's Kentucky Derby, Union Rags was a dealt a slight setback by drawing the fourth spot. A horse can win from any spot, especially a horse of Union Rags' caliber. But the fear here is that Union Rags may be pushed back initially by some of the field's fast starters.

For most horses I would echo that concern, but not for Union Rags. 

This horse has a strong pedigree. He is line-bred from Northern Dancer, so he was conditioned to succeed in this race—just as the 1964 Derby winner he descends from.

Northern Dancer is considered by some to be the most successful sire of the 20th century. That said, much is expected of Union Rags, and he should be the kind of horse capable of overcoming a less than ideal post position.

In addition to his impressive lineage, he should also be well rested. He hasn't run since March, when he finished a disappointing third place in the Florida Derby.

Some prognosticators hopped right off the Union Rags' bandwagon after that race, but I don't believe that was a final indication of how well he'll run on Saturday.

He has looked good in work done at Churchill Downs leading up to the race, but trainer Michael Matz has gone to great lengths to keep him fresh.

Matz took the same approach with 2006 Derby winner Barbaro. As we know, Barbaro stormed to victory by the largest margin the Derby had seen in 60 years. Are we in store for another dominant performance like that?

I won't go that far—but Matz knows what he's doing. 

While I still favor Bodemeister to win, Union Rags will not disappoint. I expect him to finish in the top three—at the very least.

Here are the post positions and odds for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 5.

Odds taken from KentuckyDerby.info, reflect odds prior to the post draw. 

A full list of the post positions can be found at Official Kentucky Derby Page.

Post	Horse	Odds
1.	Daddy Long Legs	30/1
2.	Optimizer	20/1
3.	Take Charge Indy	16/1
4.	Union Rags	9/2
5.	Dullahan	8/1
6.	Bodemeister	9/2
7.	Rousing Sermon	40/1
8.	Creative Cause	11/1
9.	Trinniberg	45/1
10.	Daddy Nose Best	15/1
11.	Alpha	11/1
12.	Prospective	50/1
13.	Went The Day Well	18/1
14.	Hansen	14/1
15.	Gemologist	7/1
16.	El Padrino	16/1
17.	Done Talking	50/1
18.	Sabercat	35/1
19.	I'll Have Another	15/1
20.	Liaison	40/1

Note: My Adonis is the alternate and will feature if anything happens to one of the horses prior to 9 a.m. ET on Friday.

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