2012 Preakness Post Positions: I'll Have Another's Chances Hurt by 9th Spot

I'll Have Another will find it harder to win from the ninth post position in the Preakness Stakes than he did in the 19th position at the Kentucky Derby. It's not impossible, but the outside position he drew at Churchill Downs gave him the space to run freely and ultimately catch Bodemeister.

Starting on the inside, he isn't likely to have that luxury. He can still win, but he'll have to run a different race than he ran in the Kentucky Derby.

Bodemeister is in almost the same spot this time. He was in the sixth post position at the Derby, and he draws the seventh spot at Pimlico. This time there won't be sprinter horses like Trinniberg and Gemologist pushing the pace to start.

I believe that may have factored in Bodemeister's less than stellar finish.

He ran a great race for the first mile in the Derby, but at that point he began to fade. I expect him to run the same kind of race at Pimlico, except there isn't as much room to catch him.

Pimlico Race Course shaves about half-a-furlong off the distance of the race, and that heavily favors Bodemeister. I predict I'll Have Another's dreams of a Triple Crown will fade away and that he won't even finish in the top three at Pimlico.

Everything seems to be working against him. The distance is shorter, the field doesn't place his biggest threat in an adverse spot, and now the less than favorable post position.

It doesn't appear that the Triple Crown is meant to be for I'll Have Another.

Even if the attempt at the second jewel of horse racing's trifecta isn't successful, at least the horse has already bucked the 15-1 odds to win the Derby. If he runs at the Belmont Stakes, that course is better suited for him.

It's a marathon at one-and-a-half miles, and that longer track is more in I'll Have Another's wheelhouse. I predict the Preakness will be Bodemeister's time to shine.

Here are the post positions and odds per NJ.com

Post - Horse / Trainer / Jockey / Odds

1. Tiger Walk / Correas IV / Desormeaux / 30-1 
2. Teeth of the Dog / Matz / Bravo / 15-1 
3. Pretension / Grove / Santiago / 30-1 
4. Zetterholm / R. Dutrow Jr / Alvarado / 20-1 
5. Went the Day Well / Motion / J. Velazquez / 6-1 
6. Creative Cause / Harrington / Rosario / 6-1 
7. Bodemeister / Baffert / Smith / 8-5 
8. Daddy Nose Best / Asmussen / Leparoux / 12-1 
9. I'll Have Another/ O'Neill / Gutierrez / 5-2 
10. Optimizer / Lukas / Court / 30-1 
11. Cozzetti / Romans / Lezcano / 30-1 

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