Kentucky Derby Post Draw: Positions for Each Horse in the Field

Upon the conclusion of Wednesday's draw, the field for the 2014 Kentucky Derby has come to fruition.

Not only do we know which contenders will take part in the Run for the Roses, but each horse's post position has also been determined.

Post positions are immensely important in this race. Historically, certain positions have yielded far better returns than others.

Here's a look at the success from each position since 1930:

Post	No. of Winners	Most Recent
1	8	1986, Ferdinand
2	7	1978, Affirmed
3	5	1998, Real Quiet
4	5	2010, Super Saver
5	8	2003, Funny Cide
6	2	1993, Sea Hero
7	6	2007, Street Sense
8	8	2009, Mine That Bird
9	4	1972, Riva Ridge
10	9	2005, Giacomo
11	2	1998, Winning Colors
12	3	1971, Canonero II
13	3	2004, Smarty Jones
14	2	1961, Carry Back
15	3	2000, Fusaichi Pegasus
16	5	2013, Orb
17	0	N/A
18	1	1982, Gato Del Sol
19	1	2012, I'll Have Another
20	1	2008, Big Brown

In early races, the interior positions generally produced great results, with 15 combined winners starting from the first or second post. Recently, there has been an outward trend, as the 2012 and 2013 winners have come from positions 19 and 16, respectively.

Call it superstition, or just sheer misfortune, but be weary of position 17. Since 1930, this post position is the only one which has not yielded a single winner.

After a brief glance at history, let's now take a look at where each horse will begin this year at Churchill Downs:

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Owner
1	Vicar's In Trouble	Rosie Napravnik	Mike Maker	Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey
2	Harry's Holiday	Corey Lanerie	Mike Maker	Skychai Racing LLC, Sand Dollar Stable, LLC, Terry Raymond & Jana Wagner
3	Uncle Sigh	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Gary Contessa	Wounded Warrior Stables & Anthony C. Robertson
4	Danza	Joe Bravo	Todd Pletcher	Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
5	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	Steve and Carolyn Coburn & Perry and Denise Martin
6	Samraat	Jose Ortiz	Rick Violette Jr.	My Meadowview Farm
7	We Miss Artie	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey
8	General A Rod	Joel Rosario	Mike Maker	Starlight Racing & Skychai Racing, LLC
9	Vinceremos	Joe Rococo Jr.	Todd Pletcher	WinStar Farm LLC and Twin Creeks Racing
10	Wildcat Red	Luis Saez	Jose Garoffalo	Honors Stable Corp.
11	Hoppertunity	Mike Smith	Bob Baffert	Karl Watson, Mike Pegram & Paul Weitman
12	Dance With Fate	Corey Nakatani	Peter Eurton	S. Alesia, Bran Jam Stable & Ciaglia Racing, LLC
13	Chitu	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	Tanma Corporation
14	Medal Count	Robby Albarado	Dale Romans	Spendthrift Farm
15	Tapiture	Ricardo Santana Jr.	Steve Asmussen	Winchell Thoroughbreds
16	Intense Holiday	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	Starlight Racing
17	Commanding Curve	Shaun Bridgmohan	Dallas Stewart	West Point Thoroughbreds
18	Candy Boy	Gary Stevens	John Sadler	C R K Stable LLC
19	Ride On Curlin	Calvin Borel	William G. Gowan	Daniel J. Dougherty
20	Wicked Strong	Rajiv Maragh	James A. Jerkens	Centennial Farms

Vicar's in Trouble drew the ominous first position. No one wanted to go up against the rail due to the possibility of being squeezed inside and losing position early. This horse will have to get out of the gate quickly to avoid a catastrophic start.

Race favorite California Chrome took the five position. The post may be a bit more inside than was preferred, but this certainly isn't a bad spot. Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated tweeted his impression of the draw:

Another favorite, Wicked Strong, drew the far wide position at 20. That may seem like a poor starting position to most; however, this horse is a great closer and can do well from outside. Layden tweeted his thoughts about this position as well:

With Danza, California Chrome and Samraat starting next to each other in positions four through six, we are certainly in for an interesting start. It will be intriguing to see what strategies each employs as the Run for the Roses commences.