Kentucky Derby Post Positions 2012: Why Post Position Is an Overrated Myth

We've made an incredibly big deal of post positions over the last few days, but now that race day is finally here, we can start talking about everything else.

The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby features a full 20-horse field (as of now) and is about as wide open as any race we've had in recent memory.

Since the post positions were released, we've seen a few horses get boosts, but it hasn't made a huge impact.

Here's a look at why post position is a bit overrated at Churchill Downs.

In the last 35 years, only five posts have yet to yield a winner—Posts 9, 12, 14, 17 and 19—while nine positions have won multiple times, according to TurfnSport.com.

Since 1900, only two spots are winless—17 and 19—with positions closer to the rail having an overwhelming majority of the wins. But in the more recent years, the wins have spread out to a number of different spots. In fact, only three post positions—Posts 5, 8 and 10—have four wins or more in the last 35 years.

Since the post positions were drawn, Union Rags and Bodemeister have remained the odds-on favorites. The line has moved on the likes of Gemologist, Dullahan, Hansen and Take Charge Indy, but they haven't gotten too close to the favorites. 

Union Rags and Bodemeister will run from the No. 4 and No. 6 posts, respectively, and they haven't seen their odds move at all.

As much as we want to believe these posts make a huge difference, it really all comes down to the horse. More than anything, a favorable post can help a good horse, but for a great horse, it doesn't matter.