Preakness Stakes post positions: Full draw and odds for the 2024 Triple Crown race

By | May 15, 2024

Last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, made a run at the Triple Crown by running in the Preakness Stakes, only to finish behind Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure. Could Mystik Dan find himself in the same scenario this year?

Baffert remains suspended by Churchill Downs and can’t enter horses into the Kentucky Derby. His strongest horse won’t race at the Preakness either, as Muth — the favorite to win the race — had to withdraw due to a fever. one of his horses, Muth would have had a strong case to be the Kentucky Derby favorite if he had been allowed to run, so Baffert will lament losing his best chance to win at Churchill Downs and the Preakness.

MORE: Who will win the Preakness Stakes?

The iconic Baltimore race marks the second leg of the Triple Crown, and it hasn’t been won by a Kentucky Derby winner since Justify went on to win the Triple Crown in 2018. A victory by Mystik Dan would put all eyes on the Belmont Stakes, where Ken McPeek’s horse could have an opportunity to make history.

For now, Mystik Dan will look to overcome recent trends and make it back-to-back victories after the surprising win at Churchill Downs.

Here are the post positions and odds for the 2024 Preakness Stakes after Monday’s draw.

Preakness Stakes post positions 2024

The nine-horse field received its post positions on Monday, with favorite Muth (8-5) in the No. 4 spot and Mystik Dan (5-2) in the No. 5 gate.

However, Muth was scratched from the race Wednesday after dealing with a fever ahead of the race. That will move Mystik Dan into the No. 4 gate while each of the other horses in Gates 6-9 will move up a post position.

Catching Freedom and Just Steel are running the Preakness after participating in the Kentucky Derby, with Catching Freedom entering at 6-1 and Just Steel owning more distant odds at 15-1.

Below are the post positions and odds for the Preakness Stakes, via the Maryland Jockey Club.

Post position Horse Odds
1 Mugatu 20-1
2 Uncle Heavy 20-1
3 Catching Freedom 6-1
4 Mystik Dan 5-2
5 Seize the Grey 15-1
6 Just Steel 15-1
7 Tuscan Gold 8-1
8 Imagination 6-1

What is the best post position in horse racing?

The best post position in horse racing largely depends on the tendencies of each horse. A horse that performs better with space might be better suited on the outside, but that’s not the case for all horses. 

The Preakness Stakes has a wide distribution of winners. 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, every position has produced a winner at some point and only a few post positions have seen success in recent years.

Last year’s champion, National Treasure, started out of the No. 1 gate and became the 13th winner out of No. 1.

Here is the complete list of Preakness Stakes winners at each post position:

Post position Preakness winners
1 13
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: Explaining the origin of Mystik Dan’s name

Belmont 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.

Below is a list of all of the winners at each gate since 1909.

1 — (13)

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
2023 National Treasure

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 Polynesian
1972 Bee Bee Bee
1982 Aloma’s Ruler
1989 Sunday Silence
1990 Summer Squall
1995 Timber Country
1997 Silver Charm
2008 Big Brown
2017 Lookin at Lucky
2018 Justify

8 — (10)

Year Winner
1918 War Cloud
1919 Sir Barton
1923 Vigil
1925 Coventry
1942 Alsab
1958 Tim Tam
1963 Candy Spots
1977 Seattle Slew
2002 War Emblem
2006 Bernardini

9 — (4)

Year Winner
1910 Layminster
1971 Canonero II Way
2003 Funny Cide
2012 I’ll Have Another

10 — (2)

Year Winner
1962 Greek Money
1998 Real Quiet

11 — (2)

Year Winner
1926 Display
2001 Point Given

12 — (3)

Year Winner
1917 Kalitan
1981 Pleasant Colony
2005 Afleet Alex

13 — (1)

Year Winner
2009 Rachel Alexandra

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