Kentucky Derby 2014 Horses: Odds and Post Positions for Contenders and Sleepers

There's an old—and very true—axiom that suggests the more you learn, the less you know. Never does that notion seem more true then during the Kentucky Derby draw. 

Sure, we finally get to see which horses will start where, speculate on whether the position benefits their racing style or hurts them and try to discern the type of run they'll get. Will the horses near them ruin their game plan? Will they get trapped on the rail? Buried in the pack? 

It's all a guessing game, of course, but it just so happens to be one of the most enjoyable, tantalizing and addictive guessing games in sports. Here, we'll join the fray, as we take a look at the positions and odds and try to look into the crystal ball to determine how the draw will affect some of the race's most intriguing horses.

Post	Horse	Owner(s)	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Vicar's In Trouble	Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey	Mike Maker	Rosie Napravnik	20-1
2	Harry's Holiday	Skychai Racing LLC, Sand Dollar Stable, LLC, Terry Raymond & Jana Wagner	Mike Maker	Corey Lanerie	50-1
3	Uncle Sigh	Wounded Warrior Stables & Anthony C. Robertson	Gary Contessa	Irad Ortiz Jr.	30-1
4	Danza	Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners	Todd Pletcher	Joe Bravo	10-1
5	California Chrome	Steve and Carolyn Coburn & Perry and Denise Martin	Art Sherman	Victor Espinoza	5-2
6	Samraat	My Meadowview Farm	Rick Violette Jr.	Jose Ortiz	15-1
7	We Miss Artie	Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey	Todd Pletcher	Javier Castellano	50-1
8	General A Rod	Starlight Racing & Skychai Racing, LLC	Mike Maker	Joel Rosario	15-1
9	Vinceremos	WinStar Farm LLC and Twin Creeks Racing	Todd Pletcher	Joe Rococo Jr.	30-1
10	Wildcat Red	Honors Stable Corp.	Jose Garoffalo	Luis Saez	15-1
11	Hoppertunity	Karl Watson, Mike Pegram & Paul Weitman	Bob Baffert	Mike Smith	6-1
12	Dance With Fate	S. Alesia, Bran Jam Stable & Ciaglia Racing, LLC	Peter Eurton	Corey Nakatani	20-1
13	Chitu	Tanma Corporation	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	20-1
14	Medal Count	Spendthrift Farm	Dale Romans	Robby Albarado	20-1
15	Tapiture	Winchell Thoroughbreds	Steve Asmussen	Ricardo Santana Jr.	15-1
16	Intense Holiday	Starlight Racing	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	12-1
17	Commanding Curve	West Point Thoroughbreds	Dallas Stewart	Shaun Bridgmohan	50-1
18	Candy Boy	C R K Stable LLC	John Sadler	Gary Stevens	20-1
19	Ride On Curlin	Daniel J. Dougherty	William G. Gowan	Calvin Borel	15-1
20	Wicked Strong	Centennial Farms	James A. Jerkens	Rajiv Maragh	8-1

California Chrome is obviously the horse to beat, having won four straight races, including dominant performances at the Grade 2 San Felipe and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. In total, he's won six of his 10 races, and he hasn't lost since last November. 

The fear will be that he might get squeezed between strong starters Danza and Samraat. But California Chrome is no start off the slouch himself, and he simply needs to break quickly to avoid trouble. If he lags a bit off the start, however, one of the strongest horses in recent years and everyone's Triple Crown hopeful might be in for a disappointing run.

And as Ray Paulick of the Paulick Report notes, the No. 5 post has been the source of several recent champions:

Adds Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated:

Remember, California Chrome won the Santa Anita Derby from the No. 5 post. Unless he's sluggish to start, he'll be fine. Those 5-2 odds, on the other hand, are going to discourage some folks from siding with him come race day.

In terms of horses whose post position should match up with their racing style, Danza, Hoppertunity, Intense Holiday and Candy Boy all received very solid draws. Candy Boy in particular looks very promising at 20-1 odds, as the horse will be able to avoid the early crowd coming in from the outside and has the closing speed to really capitalize on the No. 18 post.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The horses inside of him, however, won't be so pleased with where they started. Knowing Calvin Borel, he could somehow have Ride On Curlin close to the rail surprisingly quickly, but the horse feels like more of a long shot than its 15-1 odds would suggest after his post position was announced.

While Wicked Strong was one of the top contenders coming into the race and probably still is, starting at the No. 20 post is far from ideal, though there seem to be opposing viewpoints on that matter. 

Wicked Strong's trainer isn't overly optimistic about the draw, per Layden:

But then there's this, from David Grening of the Daily Racing Form:

Good luck figuring out who is more correct.

There are several horses at 20-1 who are intriguing plays, including those on the Nos. 12-14 posts: Dance With Fate, Chitu and Medal Count. Chitu in particular is really intriguing, as he's one of the few speed demons on the outside posts and could end up getting a really sweet trip out of the gate. 

As always, the Derby draw brought with it a lot of intrigue. Let the speculating begin!