2012 Preakness Post Positions: Horses in Prime Place to Win

The post positions have been determined for the 2012 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday, signaling that the race is just around the corner. Not every horse is going to run a good race this weekend, but the one that does is going to have an advantage by the starting post position.

The most glaring advantage is that given to Bodemeister. He's at the No. 7 position, meaning he won't be in danger of getting boxed inside or shut outside early on. In fact, he'll be able to use his speed to get out in front, then either stay where he is or move to the inside of the pack.

The Preakness is one-sixteenth-of-a-mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, meaning that Bodemeister won't have to run that last 330 feet, which is where he tired out last time.

His trainer Bob Baffert has won the Preakness five times in 11 tries, a fact that jockey Mike Smith is hoping repeats itself.

Another horse who is going to benefit from its post position is I'll Have Another. He drew a position outside of Bodemeister, meaning that he'll have an easier time getting a good, clean trip. It's going to be hard for I'll Have Another to match the speed of Bodemeister, but if he drew an inside position, it would have been near impossible.

I'll Have Another is fast enough to keep Bodemeister within striking distance, but not fast enough to make up substantial ground if Bodemeister can pull away, so he's going to have to hope that Bodemeister tires at the end and we see a repeat of the Kentucky Derby.

Creative Cause is another horse that is helped by the pole position. At the No. 6 spot, Creative Cause has more of a chance at boxing in Bodemeister and keeping him from pulling away too early. If he were a few spots in either direction, he would have no shot at impeding Bodemeister's path. 

If Joel Rosario, Creative Clause's jockey, and Julien Leparoux, Daddy Nose Best's jockey, can somehow work together to keep Bodemeister from pulling away, Creative Clause has a better chance at winning Saturday's race.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1.	Tiger Walk	K. Desormeaux	30-1
2.	Teeth of the Dog	J. Bravo	15-1
3.	Pretension	J. Santiago	30-1
4.	Zetterholm	J. Alvarado	20-1
5.	Went the Day Well	J. Velazquez	6-1
6.	Creative Cause	J. Rosario	6-1
7.	Bodemeister	M. Smith	8-5
8.	Daddy Nose Best	J. Leparoux	12-1
9.	I'll Have Another	M. Gutierrez	5-2
10.	Optimizer	C. Nakatani	30-1
11.	Cozzetti	J. Lezcano	30-1