Kentucky Derby 2013 Post Positions: Sleepers in Poor Position to Pull Upset

"The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" is categorized as such because of the potential for any of the 20 horses in play to take home the rose bouquet on the first Saturday in May. 

It's also extremely disappointing for 19 owners, trainers and jockeys at the end of the race. 

After post positions were announced on Wednesday afternoon, we now have a greater grasp of what it's going to take for these horses to capture the 2013 Kentucky Derby crown on Saturday, and how the odds will be stacked against a few of the horses expected to be sleeper picks during the race. 

As noted by Bleacher Report featured columnist Carlos Torres and throughout this Associated Press interactive feature on Derbys in year's past, post position is vital to odds, strategy and ultimately a victory at Churchill Downs. 

While the first and fifth post positions have picked up the most winners (12) in the 139-year history of the Derby, the No. 17 spot has never produced one, and post position is always a huge affair when the committee releases the results in the middle of the week. 

Now that we have the information on where these horses will exit the gate from on Saturday, we'll take a look at a few of the sleepers that are in a precarious position when it comes to the post. Orb, Verrazano and Revolutionary have emerged as the favorites, but these sleepers will have a tough time overcoming a poor draw on Wednesday. 

*For a complete look and profile of each horse in the Derby, check out KentuckyDerby.com. 

2013 Kentucky Derby Post Positions

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Black Onyx	Joe Bravo	Kelly Breen	50-1
2	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	30-1
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	10-1
4	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	50-1
5	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	12-1
6	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	15-1
7	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	50-1
8	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	5-1
9	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	15-1
10	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	20-1
11	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	30-1
12	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa, Jr.	15-1
13	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	50-1
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	4-1
15	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	20-1
16	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	7-2
17	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
18	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	50-1
19	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	15-1
20	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	15-1

*Odds courtesy the NBC Sports Network broadcast via Steve Andress. Post positions via the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account.

Sleepers in Poor Position to Pull Upset

Lines of Battle

Sandwiched between Palace Malice (No. 10) and Itsmyluckyday (No. 12), Lines of Battle will have a difficult time when it comes to keeping pace with the rest of the field. 

As noted by Tom LaMarra, there wasn't a lot of positivity in the crowd about the draw:

When you consider that Verrazano (No. 14) is also on the outside of Lines of Battle, this Aidan O'Brien horse has a tough task ahead of him to both keep up with the fast starters on the outside and survive the push from the inside by Goldencents (No. 8). 

Although this horse won the UAE Derby in March and is one of a handful of horses coming into the race on a win streak, this was not an ideal post unless the strategy is to lay back and make a late charge at the end of the race. 

Vyjack

In the No. 20 position, Garrett Gomez and Vyjack are two of the biggest losers from the draw. 

Outside of all of the fast starters, Gomez will have to find a way to make up some serious ground before the first turn to have a clear shot to make a move down the back stretch. 

Although there is hope for outside runners after the streak of those who have won this race in the outer half over the last decade, this is a poor draw for the Rudy Rodriguez team. 

Gomez will have to channel his inner Mario Gutierrez on Saturday, as last year's win for I'll Have Another in the No. 19 spot will likely be a huge motivation factor for this horse to overcome the outside draw and the scream of the crowd on Saturday afternoon. 

Black Onyx

Winner of the Spiral Stakes, Black Onyx got the unfavorable draw of being on the very inside of the race when the gates open on Saturday afternoon. 

While most horses would love to have the shortest distance to the finish line, this hasn't been a favorable draw for the field since things were expanded by the Kentucky Derby crew. 

No. 1 hasn't produced a winner since 1986, and Black Onyx's 50-1 odds are indicative of the fact that he's going to be one of the last horses people are picking to win this race in both inner circles and in the betting world. 

It's not impossible, but with Revolutionary sure to be a fast starter on the inside, this is a tough spot for Black Onyx and one that could lead to a bottom-10 finish. 

Follow Bleacher Report's Ethan Grant on Twitter: Follow @DowntownEG