Preakness 2015 Post Positions: Latest Odds, Historical Stats for Each Slot

The 2015 Preakness Stakes features only eight horses in the 140th running of the renowned Triple Crown's middle jewel at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Based on how small the field is, post positions become all the more interesting to examine. Usually, starting closer to the rail is a disadvantage, and American Pharoah has drawn the No. 1 post in his bid to continue winning off a Kentucky Derby triumph.

Post No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Morning-Line Odds
1	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	4-5
2	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	7-2
3	Mr. Z	Corey Nakatani	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
4	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	15-1
5	Tale of Verve	Joel Rosario	Dallas Stewart	30-1
6	Bodhisattva	Trevor McCarthy	Jose Corrales	20-1
7	Divining Rod	Javier Castellano	Arnaud Delacour	12-1
8	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	4-1

Second morning-line favorite and American Pharoah barn mate Dortmund is right next to him in the No. 2 post. Dortmund was third at Churchill Downs and won six starts before then, so he has the goods to deliver in the Preakness.

Check out the first eight post positions and how many winners they've generated since 1987, courtesy of Andrew Beyer of the Washington Post:

Post	Winners	Starters	Win Percentage
1	1	28	4%
2	0	28	0%
3	3	28	11%
4	4	28	14%
5	1	28	4%
6	6	28	21%
7	5	28	18%
8	2	28	7%

The horse in the sixth post has historically had the best chance to run to the winner's circle in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans. This year may serve as an exception, because Bodhisattva is considered quite a long shot on the morning line at 20-1. Only Tale of Verve has longer odds.

A combined one winner has emerged from the first and second posts, but American Pharoah and Dortmund have the goods to overcome those seemingly unfavorable positions in the starting gates.

The massive frame Dortmund sports gives him a considerable edge. Although his strength doesn't come to mind as an asset on the shortest Triple Crown track of 9.5 furlongs, Dortmund has the physicality to endure any early traffic issues he might encounter and can overcome them better than most.

Veteran thoroughbred reporter Ray Paulick logged what Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had to say about pitting Dortmund against another horse of his who at least has a shot at the Triple Crown:

Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden weighed in on the post position draw:

American Pharoah showed off his sensational speed down the final stretch in the Kentucky Derby, staving off a valiant run by another Preakness runner in Firing Line, who ought to be a threat once again.

Gary Stevens is a three-time Preakness champion jockey, and he'll fire out of the post furthest from the rail in this race aboard Firing Line. Being named the third favorite despite a favorable post should only drive Stevens to prove himself once more and to derail American Pharoah's Triple Crown hopes.

Stevens has a lot more flexibility in terms of how he can plan his angle of attack. Firing Line's run in Louisville proved he has plenty of stamina, so American Pharoah jockey Victor Espinoza has to be mindful of where Firing Line is down the final straightaway.

But whenever Espinoza has had a Triple Crown hopeful at Pimlico, he's been peerless, winning in Baltimore aboard Baffert's War Emblem in 2002 and California Chrome last year. Look for Espinoza to do it again and become just the second winner in recent memory from the first Preakness post.