Kentucky Derby 2013 Post Positions: Talented Horses That Won't Be Hurt by Draw

The post positions for the 2013 Kentucky Derby were drawn on Wednesday, and there were a few oohs and ahs from the crowd during some of the announcements. The luck of the draw can doom a horse at Churchill Downs, but some are impervious to such obstacles. 

Some horses seem doomed from the start, like 50-1 long shot Black Onyx which drew the No. 1 post on the inside. 

Others, like 20-1 dark-horse Palace Malice, which drew the favorable No. 10 post, have a fantastic opportunity to get into position early on for a big move down the stretch. 

Historically, drawing any spot between No. 1 and No. 10 was considered favorable. Ninety of the last 113 Derby winners drawn spots from No. 1 through No. 10. 

That said, recent history suggests a different trend is emerging.

It's been many a year since a horse has won from any of the top three posts. The last winners from those positions were Ferdinand (No. 1, 1986), Affirmed (No. 2, 1978) and Real Quiet (No. 3, 1998.) 

I'll Have Another became the first horse in history to win from the No. 19 spot last year, and some of the top horses in this year's race drew outside posts.

There are a few horses that will not be affected by "poor" draws, thanks to supreme genetics, excellent trainers and a history of winning races.

Race Info

Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.

Purse: $2.18 Million

Grade: I

Distance: 10 furlongs

Post Time: 7-7:30 p.m. ET

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

*Post positions via the Kentucky Derby's official Twitter account.

Revolutionary: No. 3 Post

As was touched upon during the introduction, the last time a horse has won the Derby from the No. 3 post was in Real Quiet accomplished the feat back in 1998.

If any horse has what it takes to break this 15-year drought, however, it's Revolutionary.

With a 40 percent chance that rain will come and soak the track at Churchill Downs, this battle-tested horse won't have to fight off many of its competitors on Saturday to gain a foothold near the front of the pack. 

But if a fight is needed to win, Revolutionary has a history of overcoming adversity. Two races back, this horse gutted out a victory after looking absolutely beaten in the Withers Stakes. He has won three races this year and has placed in the money six out of six times in 2013.

This hard-charging horse, ridden by jockey Calvin "Bo-rail" Borel, will be right there in the thick of the action on Saturday, and it wouldn't have mattered where he started—Revolutionary is a winner.

Goldencents: No. 8 Post

Unlike Post No. 3, which hasn't seen a winner in 15 years, No. 8 has sent a couple of horses to the victory in recent years: Barbaro in 2006 and Mine That Bird in 2009.

That said, this post provides plenty of challenges—especially this year. Being in the middle of the pack means there will be plenty of competition for the same spot on the track, which can and oftentimes does lead to a horse or two getting stuck at the back of the pack.

This year, just two lanes away, Palace Malice—a big, physical horse with a lot of experience banging around—will be making waves jockeying for position in No. 10. 

Thankfully, Goldencents can absolutely torch the track with pure speed, and a good start will help this horse get clear of the majority of the fray in the early goings.

Goldencents will need to get off to a clean start, but as long as last year's winning jockey Mario Gutierrez keeps his horse on a clean line the duo has an excellent chance of winning this race no matter where it starts from. 

Verrazano: No. 14 Post

Verrazano is one of the biggest betting favorites in this year's Derby, having never lost a race in his young career.

The Derby will undoubtedly be Verrazano's toughest test to date, however, and starting from the No. 14 post won't make his race any easier. 

Falling Sky is positioned on one side of Verrazano, and Charming Kitten is on the other. Falling Sky is a pure sprinter that will likely get off to a hot start, and Charming Kitten is one of the best three-year-old horses in the world. 

Orb is also a horse Verrazano will be linked to throughout the entire race and will be starting from post No. 16, which is a favorable draw thanks to a big space between No. 15 and No. 16 at the start.

Challenges aside, Verrazano has an excellent chance to win the race. 

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