Kentucky Derby Post Positions 2012: Why Positioning Is Key to Winning

Many may have considered the drawing of post positions for the Kentucky Derby to be an insignificant practice, but where a horse starts has a lot more to do with how he fares in a race than it seems on the surface.

As a general rule, it isn't particularly beneficial to start in one of the first couple spots or one of the last couple spots. Posts No. 1 and No. 2 used to be considered golden, but as the field has expanded to 20 horses, those places have almost become like a kiss of death.

Starting far inside or far outside can really hurt a horse because it almost forces a jockey to pick a lane before the race starts, regardless of whether it is a strong point for his horse. Starting somewhere in the middle is far more preferable because a jockey can steer his horse wherever there is room as he plots maneuvers for the remainder of the race.

With that said, there are some exceptions to those rules. Take Charge Indy, who will be ridden by Calvin Borel, has the No. 3 position, but he should be just fine with that. Borel is affectionately known by race fans as Calvin "Bo-rail" because of his affinity for riding the rail to victory.

In this case, No. 3 is pretty much the perfect spot for Take Charge Indy and the bettors have certainly taken notice. At the same time, though, Dullahan, who is an 8-1 shot, is starting fifth, and that plays against his strengths as he is generally a horse who likes to close late from the outside lane.

There may not be any one spot in the field that would disqualify a horse from winning, but there are certain positions that can make things far more difficult. At the same time, there are also some positions that can enhance the chances of a good horse, although the operative phrase is "good horse" since a mediocre one won't be able to do much with a good spot.

One horse in particular to watch is Gemologist. Not only is he among the favorites at 6-1, but he has the perfect draw at No. 15. He should be able to avoid traffic fairly well, and jockey Javier Castellano will have his pick of the litter in terms of where he wants to go to set up his defining move late in the race.

A good or bad draw doesn't necessarily predetermine anything, but there is no doubt that it matters. There is a lot to consider when picking a derby winner, and post position is most definitely an underrated one that should be taken into account over the next day.