Belmont Stakes 2012 Post Positions: Which Posts Have Seen the Most Success?

A favorable draw can make or break a horse’s chances to win a race, and certain posts are better than others. 

An unlucky draw on one of the outside posts can make a favorite finish last, and a fortunate draw towards the middle can lead an underdog to victory.

Here are the three posts that have historically been the best at the Belmont Stakes.

Results taken from HorseRacing.about.com

Post No. 7

Drosselmeyer, Da’ Tara and Rags to Riches have all won at Belmont Park from the No. 7 position in the last five years.

Over a longer period of time, it has not been as lucky as the recent results might suggest as seven winners have finished first since Affirmed last won the Triple Crown in 1978.

Fourteen winners have come from the lucky No. 7 post dating back to 1926, when the one-and-a-half mile distance was established.

This is one of the posts near the middle, so it definitely is not a bad post to draw. The recent success of horses in this post would give the superstitious a reason to believe that Five Sixteen, who will start in the position at the 2012 Belmont, will be a winner.

The pragmatic betters will likely take the horse’s 30-1 odds as a more telling factor of the thoroughbred’s chances.

Post No. 5

No horse has won from the No. 5 post since Hansel did so in 1991, but since 1926, in has been about as successful as post No. 7, producing 13 winners.

The specific numbers of the posts do not mean much, but the general location does. A horse is unlucky to draw the post that is farthest on the inside, or all the way on the outside.

Any post towards the middle has a decent chance to produce a winner.

The most important factor in producing a winner is, quite simply, the horse itself. With 9-5 favorite Dullahan starting from post No. 5, there will likely be 14 winners from this position after June 9.

Post No. 3

For some reason, odd numbers seem to produce winners, as this post has had 11 winners line up in it since 1926. 

The most recent winner from the position was Ruler on Ice in 2011.

This is another post that has a fantastic chance to produce a second consecutive winner, but for reasons that have little to do with luck.

The second favorite, Union Rags at 3-1 odds, will be starting at the No. 3 post for the 2012 Belmont.