The 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, and the real previews and betting will start to come down now that we know the starting post for each horse in the field after Wednesday’s post position draw.
Preakness post position draw 2018: Justify to start 7th, plus full field
Justify will continue a Triple Crown bid at the Preakness Stakes, and will start from the 7th post after Wednesday’s draw.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Justify, the winning horse of the Kentucky Derby, will start from the seventh post. It’s the same spot Justify started in the Derby. The last horse to win the Preakness from post seven was Lookin at Lucky in 2010, another Bob Baffert-trained horse.
It’s a much smaller field than the 20-horse Derby, and post position isn’t as big a deal as it is there. Still, you can see the full Preakness field and their starting posts below.
2018 Preakness Stakes post positions
1. Quip
2. Lone Sailor
3. Sporting Chance
4. Diamond King
5. Good Magic
6. Tenfold
7. Justify
8. Bravazo
The outside positions are easier on the horses and riders in the Preakness than the outside positions in the Derby, because the field they have to go around is smaller and not as densely packed. Still, being as inside as possible is generally preferred. American Pharoah, winner of the 2015 Triple Crown, started from the first post. California Chrome won it from No. 3 in 2014.
No. 4 hasn’t produced a winner in over a decade, with 2017 Derby winner Always Dreaming finishing eighth out of 10 horses from the spot a year ago.
Good Magic is considered among Justify’s top competitors, along with Bravazo. Both of them raced in the Derby as well.
Justify won the Derby as the favorite earlier this month, and all eyes will be on whether or not the Baffert-trained horse will be able to create some serious intrigue going into the Belmont Stakes, the final stop for the Crown. Justify became the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Derby having not been raced as a two-year-old.
The Preakness is the second and shortest of the three Triple Crown events, with a length of 9 1⁄2 furlongs. Justify is, once again, generally considered the favorite for the Preakness, and the post draw likely won’t change that.
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