Kentucky Derby 2014: Long Shots That Received Biggest Boost from Post Draw
Sometimes you need the horse racing gods to smile down upon you.
On Wednesday, the 20 horses entered in the 2014 Kentucky Derby learned their respective post positions.
While a post position is far from a strong indicator of success, it does allow some horses to get a leg up on the competition and level the playing field for the first few hundred yards.
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Here's the full draw for the Run for the Roses.
| 1 | Vicar's in Trouble | 25/1 |
| 2 | Harry's Holiday | 66/1 |
| 3 | Uncle Sigh | 33/1 |
| 4 | Danza | 8/1 |
| 5 | California Chrome | 11/4 |
| 6 | Samraat | 18/1 |
| 7 | We Miss Artie | 40/1 |
| 8 | General a Rod | 18/1 |
| 9 | Vinceremos | 50/1 |
| 10 | Wildcat Red | 16/1 |
| 11 | Hoppertunity | SCRATCHED |
| 12 | Dance With Fate | 22/1 |
| 13 | Chitu | 28/1 |
| 14 | Medal Count | 25/1 |
| 15 | Tapiture | 18/1 |
| 16 | Intense Holiday | 14/1 |
| 17 | Commanding Curve | 40/1 |
| 18 | Candy Boy | 25/1 |
| 19 | Ride On Curlin | 20/1 |
| 20 | Wicked Strong | 10/1 |
Note: Odds are courtesy of OddsShark.com and as recent as 5:35 p.m. ET on May 1.
The three horses listed below only had an outside shot before the draw, but after Wednesday, they should be considered legitimate threats.
General a Rod
At 18/1 odds, General a Rod went from long shot to major contender on Wednesday. According to OddsShark.com, he was listed at 33/1 on April 28.
The biggest reason for that drop in the line is him drawing the No. 8 post.
Joel Rosario rode Orb to a 2013 Kentucky Derby win, so he knows exactly what it takes to come out on top at Churchill Downs.
In his five career races, General a Rod has never failed to finish below third. He's a horse whose ceiling may be limited a bit more than the favorites, but he should remain competitive throughout.
Sitting at No. 8, General a Rod should be able to stay on the outside and use his speed early in the race. Anywhere in the 1-to-5 range would've been a major blow to his chances.
Rosario is a talented jockey. He'll have devised some sort of game plan that will allow his horse to remain competitive and poised to make a late move.
The key for him will be to not get General a Rod too bogged down on the rail.
We Miss Artie
Although his odds haven't radically improved, We Miss Artie received some much-needed help with the draw. You can't hope for much better than No. 7. The three-year-old is far enough off the rail that he shouldn't get stuck in a pack early in the race.
Trainer Todd Pletcher called it "Perfect. Just what I was dreaming of," per Darren Rogers of KentuckyDerby.com.
We Miss Artie has never won on dirt, and his last two showings were unmitigated disasters. He runs much better on synthetics and turf, so starting out in No. 7 will allow him to start out the Derby strong.
With a trainer/jockey combination of Pletcher and Javier Castellano, you can't completely dismiss We Miss Artie's chances.
Tapiture
Trainer Steve Asmussen couldn't have been happier with drawing the No. 15 post for Tapiture.
"I think it's ideal for us right now," he said, per Rogers. "The way that the draw unfolded, so much speed to the inner 10, it's every chance we've ever wanted."
Distance may be a problem for Tapiture. He's never won a race longer than 1 1/16 miles.
Starting out in No. 15 could be a blessing or a curse. Either it will allow Tapiture to stay on the outside and in a great position later in the race, or he'll be forced to expend too much energy getting on the rail that he'll have nothing left for the final stretch.
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