Like the Royal Rumble is about order of entrance, online horse betting is all about post positions, and Kentucky Derby betting is no exception. The modern Run of the Roses dates back to 1875, which is far back enough so that there is no need to revert all the way to the ancient Kentucky Derby which, according to mythology, was won such legendary horses as Fleckwus the King of Spit and Spunkus the Great, who lived threescore years. Below are this year’s Derby post positions.
- Lookin At Lee
- Thunder Snow
- Fast and Accurate
- Untrapped
- Always Dreaming
- State of Honor
- Girvin
- Hence
- Irap
- Gunnevera
- Battle of Midway
- Sonneteer
- J Boys Echo
- Classic Empire
- McCraken
- Tapwrit
- Irish War Cry
- Gormley
- Practical Joke
- Patch Adams
Mambo #5
Though Always Dreaming has been neck and neck in odds-boards with Classic Empire, the former may have a bit of an edge on the latter now thanks to drawing #5. This position has produced the second most Kentucky Derby winners with 15 – most recently California Chrome in 2014. Post position 5 has also produced one Triple Crown winner; Count Fleet in 1943.
Classic Indeed
Classic Empire, on the other hand, was saddled with #14, a post position which has produced only two winners, the last of which was Carry Back in 1961 (the other being Middleground in 1950).
Looking out for Number One
As would be expected, the #1 position has produced the most Kentucky Derby betting winners with 19 (counting 1988 champion Winning Colors, who was in fact a filly – perhaps she was the Albert Knobs of online horse betting? Coincidentally, Winning Colors was the last horse, male or female, to win from that position). Moreover, five of those colts have gone on to win the Triple Crown; Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), War Admiral (1937), Citation (1948), and Affirmed (1978). Here’s Lookin at You, Lee!
Lucky 13
Hopefully J Boys Echo is not superstitious – so long as a horse can be said to be so – because the 13th position has been anything but unlucky, producing five winners including the most recent, Nyquist.
Perfect 10
The #10 position has produced, fittingly, 10 Kentucky winners – including arguably the greatest race horse in the ever; Secretariat, who also won the Triple Crown in 1973. The last winner at Churchill Downs from this position came in 2005 in the form of Giacomo, who was a huge Kentucky Derby betting upset.
Putting the 5 in 15
Number 15 has been more successful than 10 recently, producing two of the last four winners – as well as the most recent Triple Crown champion, American Pharoah.
Aces n’ Eights
The 8th post position has produced 13 winners (another reason not to be superstitious), the most recent of which was Mine That Bird in 2009 – yet another of the biggest online horse betting upsets in the storied history of the Kentucky Derby.
17 is the loneliest number
Not counting 21 and down, 17 is the only post position that has yet to produce a winner. Even 20 has a couple Derby champions, including 2008 Kentucky winner Big Brown.