Only four Kentucky Derby horses will run from the post positions they drew on Churchill Downs' Opening Day after Right to Party became the latest horse to scratch on Friday morning, allowing Robusta to enter the field and run from the 20th post.
Right to Party, the third scratch in the Derby field, garnered the No. 5 post during last weekend's post position draw. The colt's exit moved the other entrants up a spot in the starting gate, though the numbers remain the same. With Silent Tactic, who was in the 13th post, also scratching, everyone after that moves up two spots. As a result, Golden Tempo, who initially drew Post No. 19, will run from the 17th post. Of the post positions used since 1930, it's the only one that hasn't produced a winner.
The No. 5 post has produced the most winners of all the positions, which is good news for Commandment, who slid up a spot from the sixth post.
Here's a look at how many winners and top-three finishers have come from each post:
Post No. 1
Fastest winner: Hill Gail, 2:01 3/5 (1952)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-8-5-5
Win percentage: 8.3%
In-the-money percentage: 18.8%
Ferdinand (1986) was the last horse to win at this position, with the average placing for horses being 8.2.
Post No. 2
Fastest winner: Affirmed, 2:01 1/5 (1978)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-7-6-13
Win percentage: 7.3%
In-the-money percentage: 27.1%
Four of the seven wins from this spot came in the 1970s: Dust Commander (1970), Cannonade (1974), Bold Forbes (1976) and Affirmed (1978). There have been no winners since.
Post No. 3
Fastest winner: Foolish Pleasure, 2:02 (1975)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-6-8-8
Win percentage: 6.3%
In-the-money percentage: 22.9%
Two of the six wins from this post came in the 1970s — 1975 (Foolish Pleasure) and 1979 (Spectacular Bid). The post had produced a top-three horse for three straight years, highlighted by Mystik Dan's 2024 victory, before Final Gambit's fourth-place finish last year.
Post No. 4
Fastest winner: Decidedly, 2:00 2/5 (1962)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-5-6-4
Win percentage: 5.2%
In-the-money percentage: 15.6%
Super Saver’s 2010 Derby victory was the last for the post. It was empty last year after Rodriguez scratched due to a bruised foot.
Post No. 5
Fastest winner: War Emblem, 2:01.13 (2002)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-10-8-4
Win percentage: 10.4%
In-the-money percentage: 22.9%
The winningest position with 10 champions. Four have come since 2000: War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), California Chrome (2014) and Always Dreaming (2017).
Post No. 6
Fastest winner: Iron Liege, 2:01 1/5 (1957)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 96-2-8-3
Win percentage: 2.1%
In-the-money percentage: 13.5%
Has the fewest wins of the first 10 posts with two but has eight second-place finishes, tied with Posts 3 and 5 for the most. Good Magic finished second in 2018 from the sixth post.
Post No. 7
Fastest winner: Northern Dancer, 2:00 (1964)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 95-8-7-6
Win percentage: 8.4%
In-the-money percentage: 22.1%
A horse has placed in the money from this post in 22.1% of the 95 races the post has been occupied. The most recent winner to come from the seventh starting post was Mandaloun in 2021.
Post No. 8
Fastest winner: Lucky Debonair, 2:01 1/5 (1965)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 95-9-5-5
Win percentage: 9.5%
In-the-money percentage: 20%
In 2023, Mage became the third horse to win from the eighth post in the new millennium, joining Barbaro (2006) and Mine That Bird (2009).
Post No. 9
Fastest winner: Riva Ridge, 2:01 4/5 (1972)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 92-4-6-8
Win percentage: 4.3%
In-the-money percentage: 19.6%
Tomy Lee and Venetian Way posted back-to-back wins in 1959 and 1960 from the ninth post, which has four winners total. A horse hasn’t won from here since 1972 (Riva Ridge).
Post No. 10
Fastest winner: Secretariat, 1:59 2/5 (1973)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 89-9-6-11
Win percentage: 10.2%
In-the-money percentage: 29.2%
Secretariat, the greatest horse to win the Kentucky Derby, did so from this post 52 years ago. And four horses won in the 1980s: Genuine Risk (1980), Sunny’s Halo (1983), Spend a Buck (1985) and Sunday Silence (1989). This post owns the second-best win percentage (10.2%) behind Posts 5 and 20 and the best in-the-money percentage (29.5%).
Post No. 11
Fastest winner: Winning Colors, 2:02 1/5 (1988)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 85-2-6-4
Win percentage: 2.4%
In-the-money percentage: 14.1%
Brokers Tip (1933) and Winning Colors (1988) are the lone winners to come out of the 11th post. Forever Young finished third in 2024.
Post No. 12
Fastest winner: Kauai King, 2:02 (1966)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 81-3-3-4
Win percentage: 3.7%
In-the-money percentage: 12.3%
Angel of Empire was the last horse to get close to a win from the 12th spot, finishing third in 2023.
Post No. 13
Fastest winner: Nyquist, 2:01.31 (2016)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 79-5-5-7
Win percentage: 6.3%
In-the-money percentage: 21.5%
The unlucky number has been just that lately. Nyquist is the most recent winner, with Simplification finishing in the top five in 2022.
Post No. 14
Fastest winner: Middleground, 2:01 3/5 (1950)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 69-2-6-6
Win percentage: 2.9%
In-the-money percentage: 20.3%
The only winners to come from the 14th position were Middleground (1950) and Carry Back (1961). But a solid 20.6% of the horses to run from this post have finished in the money, including Essential Quality’s third-place showing in 2021.
Post No. 15
Fastest winner: Authentic, 2:00.61 (2020)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 64-6-2-1
Win percentage: 9.4%
In-the-money percentage: 14.1%
The new millennium has seen horses from the 15th post have some success. Authentic won the 2020 Derby. American Pharoah (2015), Orb (2013) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) also were victorious.
Post No. 16
Fastest winner: Monarchos, 1:59.97 (2001)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 53-5-3-3
Win percentage: 9.4%
In-the-money percentage: 20.8%
One of the fastest times recorded at the Derby came from this post in 2001, with Monarchos winning in 1:59.97. All five horses that have won from this post have done so in the last 30 years, including Sovereignty (2025), Animal Kingdom (2011), Charismatic (1999) and Thunder Gulch (1995).
Post No. 17
Fastest winner: N/A
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 46-0-1-2
Win percentage: 0.0%
In-the-money percentage: 6.5%
Of the posts that have been used since 1930, this is the only one to not produce a winner. Forty Niner came the closest, finishing second in 1988. Don’t Get Mad placed fourth in 2005.
Post No. 18
Fastest winner: Gato Del Sol, 2:02 2/5 (1982)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 38-2-4-0
Win percentage: 5.3%
In-the-money percentage: 15.8%
In 2019, Country House took the crown from the 18th spot after Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, a first in Derby history. Gato Del Sol was the only other winner from Post 18 in 1982. Owen Almighty produced a fifth-place finish from the post last year.
Post No. 19
Fastest winner: I'll Have Another, 2:01.83 (2012)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 32-1-1-1
Win percentage: 3.1%
In-the-money percentage: 9.4%
I’ll Have Another (2012) is the only horse to win from the 19th post, though Wicked Strong finished fourth from the position two years later. Resilience finished sixth from the post in 2024.
Post No. 20
Fastest winner: Big Brown, 2:01.82 (2008)
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 20-2-0-1
Win percentage: 10.5%
In-the-money percentage: 15.8%
Before Rich Strike in 2022, Big Brown was the only horse to win from the 20th post.
Post No. 21
Fastest winner: N/A
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 2-0-0-0
Win percentage: 0%
In-the-money percentage: 0%
The post has only been used twice before, in 1974 and 1985.
Post No. 22
Fastest winner: N/A
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 1-0-0-0
Win percentage: 0%
In-the-money percentage: 0%
This post has only been used once, as Judger finished eighth in the 1974 Kentucky Derby.
Post No. 23
Fastest winner: N/A
Record (Entries-win-place-show): 1-0-0-0
Win percentage: 0%
In-the-money percentage: 0%
Buck's Bid was the only horse to run from the spot, placing seventh in the 1974 Kentucky Derby.
How to watch 2026 Kentucky Derby
The 152nd run of the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
You can stream the 2026 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock.
What time is the Kentucky Derby?
Post time for the 152nd Kentucky Derby is set for approximately 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 2.
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Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2026 post positions after scratches, history of winners
