Everything you need to know about the 2022 Kentucky Derby post positions

May 02, 2022 J. Keeler Johnson

Post positions for the 2022 Kentucky Derby were drawn on Monday afternoon, triggering the annual debate among bettors as to which horses drew well, which drew poorly, and which might enjoy ideal trips in the “Run for the Roses.”

Some assumptions will be anecdotal, based on gut feelings and the relative draws of key contenders. Other conclusions will be based on cold, hard data—specifically, the post position statistics meticulously compiled by Churchill Downs since the starting gate was first introduced for the 1930 Kentucky Derby.

How many winners have broken from post 1? What’s the win percentage of post 15? What percent of horses finish in the money (first, second, or third) when breaking from post 5? Who was the last horse to win from post 14? How about the last horse to finish in the money from post 17?

If you find yourself asking any of these questions, we’ve got you covered with a convenient chart breaking down all the Kentucky Derby post position data:

Post	2022 Derby Starter	Record	Win %	ITM %	Last Winner	Last ITM
1	Mo Donegal	92-8-5-5	8.7%	19.6%	Ferdinand (1986)	Lookin At Lee (2nd, 2017)
2	Happy Jack	92-7-5-13	7.6%	27.2%	Affirmed (1978)	Revolutionary (3rd, 2013)
3	Epicenter	92-5-6-8	5.4%	20.7%	Real Quiet (1998)	Golden Soul (2nd, 2013)
4	Summer Is Tomorrow	92-5-6-4	5.4%	16.3%	Super Saver (2010)	Danza (3rd, 2014)
5	Smile Happy	92-10-8-4	10.9%	23.9%	Always Dreaming (2017)	Audible (3rd, 2018)
6	Messier	92-2-8-3	2.2%	14.1%	Sea Hero (1993)	Good Magic (2nd, 2018)
7	Crown Pride	91-8-6-6	8.8%	22.0%	Mandaloun (2021)	Justify (1st, 2018)
8	Charge It	91-8-5-5	8.8%	19.8%	Mine That Bird (2009)	Tacitus (3rd, 2019)
9	Tiz the Bomb	88-4-6-8	4.5%	20.5%	Riva Ridge (1972)	Hot Rod Charlie (2nd, 2021)
10	Zandon	85-9-6-9	10.6%	28.2%	Giacomo (2005)	Paddy O’Prado (3rd, 2010)
11	Pioneer of Medina	81-2-6-4	2.5%	14.8%	Winning Colors (1988)	Code of Honor (2nd, 2019)
12	Taiba	77-3-3-3	3.9%	11.7%	Canonero II (1971)	Afleet Alex (3rd, 2005)
13	Simplification	75-5-5-7	6.7%	22.7%	Nyquist (2016)	Nyquist (1st, 2016)
14	Barber Road	65-2-6-6	3.1%	21.5%	Carray Back (1961)	Essential Quality (3rd, 2021)
15	White Abarrio	60-6-2-1	10.0%	15.0%	Authentic (2020)	Authentic (1st, 2020)
16	Cyberknife	49-4-3-3	8.2%	20.4%	Animal Kingdom (2011)	Commanding Curve (2nd, 2014)
17	Classic Causeway	42-0-1-2	0.0%	7.1%	None	Forty Niner (2nd, 1988)
18	Tawny Port	34-2-4-0	5.9%	17.6%	Country House (2019)	Country House (1st, 2019)
19	Zozos	29-1-1-0	3.4%	6.9%	I'll Have Another (2012)	I'll Have Another (1st, 2012)
20	Ethereal Road	17-1-0-1	5.9%	11.8%	Big Brown (2008)	Big Brown (1st, 2008)

In addition, Rich Strike (#21) and Rattle N Roll (#22) are on the also-eligible list. In the event one or more horses scratch from the main body of the field, all horses drawn outside of the scratched horse(s) will move inward, and Rich Strike and/or Rattle N Roll will draw into the field and start from the outside post(s).

A few key takeaways from the chart are as follows:

• Post 1 is often dreaded since it’s difficult for horses to secure racing room while breaking from the inside of a large field. But while post 1 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986, post 2, post 9, post 12, post 14, and post 17 have endured even worse luck. Post 14 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Carray Back in 1961, and horses breaking from post 17 have gone 0-for-42.

• 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.

• Keeping the above in mind, it’s noteworthy how many Kentucky Derby winners have broken from outside posts in recent years. Seven of the last 11 winners (64%) started from post 13 or wider, suggesting unencumbered trips are more important than saving ground in the Kentucky Derby.

• But based on a strict reading of the statistics, post 5 is the best position a horse can hope to draw. Not only has post 5 produced the most winners (10), the most runners-up (eight, tied with post 6), and the highest win percentage (10.9%), it also produced a top-five finisher in every Kentucky Derby from 2012 through 2019. This impressive streak included the victorious duo of California Chrome (2014) and Always Dreaming (2017).

• Post 15 has been particularly advantageous in the last decade, producing Kentucky Derby winners Orb (2013), American Pharoah (2015), and Authentic (2020). Post 7 has also fared well, churning out Justify (2018) and Mandaloun (2021).

Will Classic Causeway become the first Kentucky Derby winner to break from post 17? Will Smile Happy add to the decorated resume of post 5? Will Mo Donegal overcome the dreaded rail draw? Will Happy Jack, Tiz the Bomb, Taiba, or Barber Road reverse the long losing streaks for their respective post positions?

We’ll find out on the first Saturday in May.