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A year after Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike opted not to run the Preakness, the race for the Triple Crown is back in Baltimore.
Mage will try his hand at the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, looking to move one step closer to history after a surprise victory at Churchill Downs.
With or without any Triple Crown buzz, the Preakness is one of horse racing’s biggest annual events and attracts fans from near and far. With Mage committed to the race this year, the buzz will be even more significant.
Monday’s draw determined the post positions for the Preakness Stakes field, which is much smaller than the Kentucky Derby. Each horse has a different style of racing, and a post position on the outside can represent a major change from a post position closer to the rail depending on a horse’s preference.
MORE: Why Mage is set to run the Preakness after winning Kentucky Derby
Here are the post positions for the 2023 Preakness Stakes, including odds and a look at which post positions are historically the most favorable in this race.
Preakness Stakes post positions 2023
Below is the full post position draw for the 148th Preakness. Kentucky Derby champion Mage drew the third post position; last year’s winner, Early Voting, won out of the fifth post position.
Post position
Horse
Odds
1
National Treasure
4-1
2
Chase the Chaos
50-1
3
Mage
8-5
4
Coffeewithchris
20-1
5
Red Route One
10-1
6
Perform
15-1
7
Blazing Sevens
6-1
8
First Mission
5-2
What is the best post position in horse racing?
The best post position depends on each horse’s tendencies. A horse that runs well in space could perform better with a post position toward the outside. On the other hand, running closer to the rail gives horses a shorter path to the finish, but it also raises the risks of collisions.
The Preakness Stakes has a wide distribution of winners. That said, the No. 6 spot has been the most favorable over the years, with that post producing 16 winners since a starting gate was implemented in 1909, but every position from No. 1 through No. 7 has produced at least 12 winners.
Last year’s champion, Early Voting, started out of the No. 5 gate and became the 13th winner out of No. 5.
Here is the complete list of Preakness Stakes winners at each post position:
Post position
Preakness winners
1
12
2
12
3
12
4
14
5
13
6
16
7
14
8
10
9
4
10
2
11
2
12
3
13
1
MORE: All-time Preakness Stakes winners
Preakness Stakes winners by post position
The Preakness Stakes first implemented a starting gate in 1909. Since then, every gate numbered 1-13 has produced a winner, and every gate numbered 1-8 has produced at least 10 winners.
Since 2000, three gates have produced three winners. They are Gates 1, 4 and 7.
Below is a list of all of the winners at each gate since 1909.
*Preakness divided
1 — (12)
Year
Winner
1911
Watervale
1930
Gallant Fox
1934
High Quest
1937
War Admiral
1941
Whirlaway
1949
Capot
1950
Hill Prince
1960
Bally Ache
1994
Tabasco Cat
2015
American Pharoah
2019
War of Will
2021
Rombauer
2 — (12)
Year
Winner
1912
Col. Holloway
1939
Challedon
1943
Count Fleet
1944
Pensive
1947
Faultless
1967
Damascus
1968
Forward Pass
1970
Personality
1974
Little Current
1979
Spectacular Bid
1986
Snow Chief
2017
Cloud Computing
3 — (12)
Year
Winner
1913
Buskin
1916
Damrosch
1956
Fabius
1966
Kauai King
1973
Secretariat
1975
Master Derby
1980
Codex
1983
Deputed Testamony
1984
Gate Dancer
1988
Risen Star
1993
Prairie Bayou
2013
California Chrome
4 — (14)
Year
Winner
1909
Effendi
1927
Bostonian
1933
Head Play
1936
Bold Venture
1948
Citation
1952
Blue Man
1953
Native Dancer
1961
Carry Back
1964
Northern Dancer
1991
Hansel
1992
Pine Bluff
2000
Red Bullet
2007
Curlin
2020
Swiss Skydiver
5 — (13)
Year
Winner
1918
Jack Hare Jr.
1922
Pillory
1931
Mate
1938
Dauber
1940
Bimelech
1946
Assault
1955
Nashua
1957
Bold Ruler
1969
Majestic Prince
1976
Elocutionist
2011
Shackleford
2016
Exaggerator
2022
Early Voting
6 — (16)
Year
Winner
1914
Holiday
1915
Rhine Maiden
1929
Dr. Freeland
1932
Burgoo King
1935
Omaha
1951
Bold
1954
Hasty Road
1959
Royal Orbit
1965
Tom Rolfe
1978
Affirmed
1985
Tank’s Prospect
1987
Alysheba
1996
Louis Quatorze
1999
Charismatic
2004
Smarty Jones
2013
Oxbow
7 — (14)
Year
Winner
1920
Man O’ War
1921
Broomspun
1924
Nellie Morse
1928
Victorian
1945
Source: Sporting News | Read More
