Kentucky Derby 2020 Post Positions: Field Info, Horses Odds and Predictions

The 146th running of the Kentucky Derby is going to be one of the strangest in history. No fans. Only 18 horses. A new date in September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bring on the strange. 

As we all navigate the unique circumstances of the Derby, you'll find the post positions, odds and a preview of the race below. 

Post Positions and Odds

Preview and Prediction

Well, it's not every day that the three favorites get the three widest starting positions at the Kentucky Derby, but here we are. 

And if Tiz the Law—who won the Belmont Stakes and is the favorite to win the Run for the Roses—wins on Saturday, he'll make history in the process out of the No. 17 position:

This year's Derby only has 18 entrants rather than the normal 20, meaning the Nos. 1 and 20 posts will be left empty. So Tiz the Law won't technically be racing from the No. 17 gate. 

"I kind of look at it as not 17 with the new starting gate," Sackatoga Stable manager partner Jack Knowlton told Evan Hammonds of The BloodHorse. "It's probably more like 13, 14, 15 maybe. It's a new world that we are in with the starting gate. Obviously, when you had that gap you were a lot further outside. We had horses win from (post) 20. I don't think it matters much. I'm just a lot happier there than in the 1 or the 2."

Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg concurred. 

"I like it being on the outside," he said. "I didn't particularly want to be out that far, but we have been. He seems to handle everything that gets thrown at him. It gives you a chance if you have any speed at all."

Generally at the Derby, trainers and jockeys hope to avoid the inside rail unless they have a horse that likes to sprint early and front run. The concern with starting inside is getting trapped along the rail as the large field of horses drifts inside. 

That post went to Finnick the Fierce, though his trainer Rey Hernandez was fine with the starting spot.

"Looking back, the best races that he's been running have been from the 1 position... Especially with him going a mile and a quarter and that he comes from off the pace," he said. "I don't think it's any issue with the 1."

So everyone's fine and happy with their starting spots. Well, at least publicly. It's probably fair to say that in such a strange year, with a smaller field, weird starting gates and one of Tiz the Law's top threats, Art Collector, removed from the field that the safest bet to win this race is the favorite. 

Don't get cute—Tiz the Law is the pick.