Preakness Odds: Competitors That Were Negatively Affected by Post Positions

The lines for the 2013 Preakness Stakes will continue to change up until the start of the race on Saturday, although a few horses have already been affected.

On Wednesday, the post positions for the middle race of the Triple Crown were announced and there were some interesting results. While a quick horse like Goldencents should be happy about starting from the No. 2 spot, a few others will struggle to do well from their current starting spots.

This is a smaller field than the Kentucky Derby with only nine horses competing, but these contenders will still have a tough time overcoming their posts.

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 (1-1)

The Kentucky Derby winner is the overwhelming favorite to keep his streak alive by winning the Preakness. Orb's ability to come from behind at Churchill Downs leads many to believe that he can be the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown.

Unfortunately, the rail does not play to the horse's strengths. He is a strong closer and Joel Rosario has no problem going wide to pass the field on the home stretch. This might not be an option at Pimlico.

With the No. 1 post, Orb might get pinched inside by Goldencents with little room to maneuver. David Grening of Daily Racing Forum also has a not-so-inspiring statistic about the inside post:

While the talented horse is still the favorite to win it all, things will not be easy in this one.

No. 9 Itsmyluckyday (10-1)

Itsmyluckyday is one of the best sprinters in the field. He has shown the ability to get off to a good start and is often able to hold on for a win.

This was not the case at the Kentucky Derby, as Itsmyluckyday started on the outside and never got into good position. He ended up finishing in 15th place.

As the furthest horse from the rail at the Preakness, the strong starter will struggle to get into good position early on. Even with a smaller field, he might not have the closing speed to catch up to the pack.

Jockey John Velazquez is very experienced and should play a big part in this race, but he might not be able to overcome the poor starting spot.

No. 3 Titletown Five (30-1)

The chances of Titletown Five doing well at the Preakness were never all that good. The horse has competed in only two races of one mile or longer, finishing in ninth and fourth place.

With a disappointing showing at the Louisiana Derby, he showed that he was simply not in the same league as the better horses in the field, and the 30-1 odds reflect that.

Even the slight chances that this competitor had in the race were reduced even more when the posts came out. Titletown Five will start at the No. 3 spot, outside of Orb and Goldencents and just inside of Departing and Mylute.

These four horses are the top four contenders in this race and have proven to be much better over the past few months. Titletown Five will simply be unable to stick with these elite horses and he should remain in the back for most of the event.

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