The Kentucky Derby/Twin Spires reports that post positions for the overflow field of 2026 Kentucky Derby hopefuls were drawn Saturday.
The field includes 24 horses. Here are the positions:
Four are on the also-eligible list: #21 Great White, #22 Ocelli, #23 Robusta, and #24 Corona de Oro.
If a horse scratches from the main body of the field, all horses drawn outside of the scratched horse will move inward by one post position, and Great White will draw into the field and start from post 20.
If a second horse scratches, the process will repeat, and Ocelli will draw in and start from post 20. Robusta and Corona de Oro will respectively require three of four scratches to start in the Derby.)
Here are a few key takeaways from the data in the post position chart, supplemented with information from the recent history of the Kentucky Derby:
• It can be difficult for horses to avoid traffic trouble while breaking from post 1, and in a famous bit of Kentucky Derby lore, no horse has won from the rail post since Ferdinand in 1986. But post 2, post 9, post 12, post 14, and post 17 have gone even longer without producing a Derby winner. It’s been 65 years since Carry Back won the Derby from post 14, and post 17 has never produced a Derby winner, going 0-for-46.
• Not every Kentucky Derby features a full field, so inside posts are more likely to compile high win percentages than outside posts. In a 10-horse field, each post has a 10% chance at producing the winner. In a 20-horse field, each post has a 5% chance.
• Nine of the last 15 Kentucky Derby winners (60%) started from post 13 or wider, suggesting traffic-free trips are more important than saving ground in the Kentucky Derby. Remarkably, post 20 has the highest win percentage (10.5%) of any post position.
• Post 5 has performed strongly since 1930. It’s produced the most winners (10), the most runners-up (eight, tied with posts 3 and 6), and the second-highest win percentage (10.4%). It produced a top-five finisher in every Kentucky Derby between 2012 and 2019, including winners California Chrome (2014) and Always Dreaming (2017).
• Post 15 has been particularly productive in recent years, yielding Kentucky Derby winners Orb (2013), American Pharoah (2015), and Authentic (2020).
The race takes place the first Saturday in May — May 6 — at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The Kentucky Derby/Twin Spires