Preakness 2013 Post Positions: Horses Most Impacted by Draw

In the world of horse racing, getting a good post is almost as important as the speed of the horse.

Contenders that like to start fast usually prefer to be closer to the rail, while late closers often enjoy more freedom on the outside.

Orb was able to overcome a far outside post at No. 16 to win the Kentucky Derby, but the question remains whether he can win the Preakness Stakes as well. He is looking to be the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, although the post position could play a big role in his chances.

Here is a list of where each horse will start, followed by an extended look at which competitors were affected the most by the draw.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1/1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8/1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	6/1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5/1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12/1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10/1

*Morning line via KY Derby Contenders Twitter feed.

No. 1 Orb

No matter what happened with the draw, Orb was going into this race as the favorite after winning the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, the No. 1 post was likely the worst-possible position for the champion horse.

At Churchill Downs, Orb did not even try to get off to a good start in the loaded field as jockey Joel Rosario saved the horse's energy for the final stretch. He might not have a choice in this one as he wants to avoid getting trapped in the rail.

David Grening of the Daily Racing Forum also had a pretty terrifying statistic for those cheering for Orb:

However, the top contender was able to win the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth in February from the inside post, so winning is not impossible, just very difficult.

No. 2 Goldencents

If there is a horse that wanted an inside draw in this race, it is Goldencents. The Santa Anita Derby winner is a very fast starter and has the pure speed to get into good position early.

The horse struggled on the wet track at Churchill Downs and ended in 17th place. It also failed to overcome the large field of competitors.

However, the small amount of entries at the Preakness should allow Kevin Krigger to get his horse into good position and do what is necessary to get the win.

Even Goldencents himself is excited about the post:

No. 6 Oxbow

Since 1909, no position has led to more wins at the Preakness Stakes than No. 6. In that time, 15 horses have gone from that post to the winner's circle.

While this does not mean everything, it is important to note that Oxbow is also a very strong contender to begin with. After finishing in sixth place at the Kentucky Derby, it is one of the highest finishers to also compete at Pimlico.

Jockey Gary Stevens and trainer D. Wayne Lukas have as much experience in this race as anyone in the field, and the pair will do everything in their power to help Oxbow get a victory on Saturday.

No. 9 Itsmyluckyday

Like Goldencents, Itsmyluckyday is a very fast starter. Unfortunately, it will have to try to succeed from the outside post at Pimlico.

This was a problem at the Kentucky Derby, with the horse never being able to get above sixth place throughout the race. If it had a better post than 11th, it might have been in better position to get a lead and hold onto it.

While this small field could allow Itsmyluckyday to beat some others to the rail, the chances of this horse becoming a sleeper contender have become much less likely after seeing the draws.