What are the post positions for 2025 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks?

Note: This story was updated after two horses set to be in the Kentucky Derby, Rodriguez and Grande, both scratched out of the race.

The post position draws for this year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks took place Saturday night at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Journalism— trained by Michael McCarthy and to be ridden by Umberto Rispoli — was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby and was given post position No. 8 in the 19-horse Derby field. But, Journalism will begin the race from post position No. 7.

Good Cheer — trained by Brad Cox and to be ridden by Luis Saez — was made the overwhelming 6-5 morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Oaks and was given post position No. 11 in the 14-filly Oaks field.

The 151st edition of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT.

The 151st running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks for fillies will be run on Friday at Churchill Downs. Post time is 5:51 p.m. EDT.

Bob Baffert’s Rodriguez was drawn into post position No. 4 for the Kentucky Derby, but he was scratched from the race Thursday night. Baeza, trained by John Shirreffs, entered the Derby field as a result.

On Friday morning, Todd Pletcher’s Grande (post position No. 10) was also scratched from the race. This reduced the Derby field to 19 runners.

Every horse drawn to the outside of Rodriguez will move over one position to the left, while retaining the same program number. The same process was repeated for Grande.

This means that the No. 20 post position won’t be used in this year’s Derby.

Here’s all the information you need to know following the post position draw for both races.

2025 Kentucky Derby post position draw

The following 20 horses were assigned a starting gate for next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby during the post position draw.

Horses are listed with their odds, trainers, jockeys and owners, in that order.

▪ 1: Citizen Bull, (20-1), Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia, SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.

▪ 2: Neoequos, (30-1), Saffie Joseph Jr., Luis Saez, C2 Racing Stable, Ian Parsard, Shining Stables and Stefania Farms.

▪ 3: Final Gambit, (30-1), Brad Cox, Luan Machado, Juddmonte.

▪ 4: American Promise, (30-1), D. Wayne Lukas, Nik Juarez, BC Stables.

American Promise will be program number 5.

▪ 5: Admire Daytona (JPN), (30-1), Yukihiro Kato, Christophe Lemaire, Junko Kondo.

Admire Daytona will be program number 6.

▪ 6: Luxor Cafe, (15-1), Noriyuki Hori, Joao Moreira, Koichi Nishikawa.

Luxor Cafe will be program number 7.

▪ 7: Journalism, (3-1), Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5, Robert V. LaPenta, Mrs. John Magnier-Lessee, Derrick Smith-Lessee and Michael B. Tabor-Lessee.

Journalism will be program number 8.

▪ 8: Burnham Square, (12-1), Ian Wilkes, Brian Hernandez Jr., Whitham Thoroughbreds.

Burham Square will be program number 9.

▪ 9: Flying Mohawk, (30-1), Whit Beckman, Joe Ramos, Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing.

Flying Mohawk will be program number 11.

▪ 10: East Avenue, (20-1), Brendan Walsh, Manny Franco, Godolphin.

East Avenue will be program number 12.

▪ 11: Publisher, (20-1), Steve Asmussen, Irad Ortiz Jr., Gus King and the Estate of Brereton C. Jones.

Publisher will be program number 13.

▪ 12: Tiztastic, (20-1), Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John (Susan) Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith.

Tiztastic will be program number 14.

▪ 13: Render Judgment, (30-1), Kenny McPeek, Julien Leparoux, Baccari Racing Stable, Dream Walkin Farms, MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing.

Render Judgment will be program number 15.

▪ 14: Coal Battle, (30-1), Lonnie Briley, Juan Vargas, Norman Stables.

Coal Battle will be program number 16.

▪ 15: Sandman, (6-1), Mark Casse, Jose Ortiz, D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables.

Sandman will be program number 17.

▪ 16: Sovereignty, (5-1), Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, Godolphin.

Sovereignty will be program number 18.

▪ 17: Chunk of Gold, (30-1), Ethan West, Jareth Loveberry, Terry L. Stephens.

Chunk of Gold will be program number 19.

▪ 18: Owen Almighty, (30-1), Brian Lynch, Javier Castellano, Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing.

Owen Almighty will be program number 20.

▪ 19: Baeza, John Shirreffs, Flavien Prat, C R K Stable and Grandview Equine.

Baeza will be program number 21.

What does the post position draw tell us for 2025 Kentucky Derby?

While the true value — both bad and good — from the position position draw is a hard thing to quantify, there’s plenty of historical precedent to look at when it comes to the assigned starting gate for horses in the Kentucky Derby.

Post position No. 5 — which this year will house Admire Daytona (JPN) — is the only starting gate that has produced double-digit Kentucky Derby winners. That starting gate has been home to 10 Derby winners through the years, most recently in 2017 with Always Dreaming.

Post position No. 17 — which this year will be occupied by Chunk of Gold — is the only post position to have never produced a Derby winner. A total of 45 horses have started the Derby from post position No. 17, and only one (Forty Niner in 1988) has finished as high as second place.

Post position No. 10 — which this year belongs to East Avenue — is the post position with the highest percentage of top-three finishes in the Kentucky Derby since 1930. A total of 26 horses have finished in the money from 88 starters during this period. This means that 29.6% of Derby horses since 1930 who have started from post No. 10 have finished in the top three.

Mystik Dan won the 2024 edition of the Kentucky Derby after leaving post position No. 3, becoming the sixth horse to win the Derby from that starting gate out of 95 all-time starters.

Burnham Square — who is leaving from post position No. 8 in this year’s Kentucky Derby — is aiming to become the first winner of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland to also win the Derby since Strike the Gold in 1991.

Last year, a Japanese horse finished in the money in the Kentucky Derby for the first time. Forever Young came in third as part of a three-way photo finish at the wire. This year, the lone Japan-bred horse in the Derby — Admire Daytona — will leave from post position No. 5.

Right next to him is Luxor Cafe — a Kentucky-bred son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah — who qualified for the Derby via the Japanese qualification pathway. He will depart from post position No. 6.

Starting with the 2020 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs began using a custom-made 20-horse starting gate for the Derby.

The 65-foot gate replaced the practice of using two gates to accommodate all the Derby horses. This gate also eliminated a wide gap between post position No. 14 in the main gate and post position No. 15 in the auxiliary gate, and it also helps mitigate the disadvantage for horses drawn near the rail.

Last week, first-time Kentucky Derby trainer Lonnie Briley was meeting with reporters on the backstretch at Churchill Downs when he described a conversation he had with fellow Derby conditioner Bob Baffert at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Sale.

Briley — a 72-year-old from Louisiana who is saddling Coal Battle (post position No. 14) in this year’s Kentucky Derby — asked Baffert, also 72 years old and a six-time winner of the Derby, what a good post position would be for the race.

“(Baffert) said ‘I can’t tell you the good ones, but I can tell you the bad ones,” Briley recalled. “He said the end gates, they’re a little narrow and stuff, and he said your horses are not going to be comfortable in them.”

Kentucky Derby

When: 6:57 p.m. Saturday, May 3

Where: Churchill Downs

TV: NBC and Peacock

Purse: $5 million (Grade 1)

Distance: 1 1/4 miles

For: 3-year-old thoroughbreds

2025 Kentucky Oaks post position draw

The following 14 fillies were assigned a starting gate for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks during Saturday night’s post position draw.

Horses are listed with their odds, trainers, jockeys and owners, in that order.

Note: Five G — trained by George Weaver and to be ridden by Manny Franco — was scratched from the Kentucky Oaks on Thursday after not training well.

This means the Oaks is now projected to have a 13-horse field. All fillies that were drawn outside of post position No. 8, which was to house Five G, will now be moved in one post, while retaining the same program number.

▪ 1: Early On, (30-1), Saffie Joseph Jr., Edgard Zayas, C2 Racing Stable, Ken T. Reimer, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch and Bradley D Kent.

▪ 2: Simply Joking, (10-1), Whit Beckman, Florent Geroux, Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner and Berkels0813.

▪ 3: Fondly, (30-1), Graham Motion, Irad Ortiz Jr., Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

▪ 4: Drexel Hill, (30-1), Whit Beckman, Ben Curtis, Legion Racing.

▪ 5: Quickick, (30-1), Tom Amoss, Umberto Rispoli, Greenwell Thoroughbreds.

▪ 6: Ballerina d’Oro, (10-1), Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, Rodeo Creek Racing.

▪ 7: La Cara, (6-1), Mark Casse, Dylan Davis, Tracy Farmer.

▪ 9: Tenma, (12-1), Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez, Baoma Corp.

Tenma will leave from post position No. 8.

▪ 10: Take Charge Milady, (12-1), Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., James Ball, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) and Kenneth Rhodes.

Take Charge Milday will leave from post position No. 9.

▪ 11: Good Cheer, (6-5), Brad Cox, Luis Saez, Godolphin.

Good Cheer will leave from post position No. 10.

▪ 12: Anna’s Promise, (30-1), Carlos David, Junior Alvarado, Bell Racing.

Anna’s Promise will leave from post position No. 11.

▪ 13: Bless the Broken, (30-1), Will Walden, John Velazquez, Cypress Creek Equine (Kevin Moody) and Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin).

Bless the Broken will leave from post position No. 12.

▪ 14: Quietside, (8-1), John Ortiz, Jose Ortiz, Shortleaf Stable.

Quietside will leave from post position No. 13.

There are no also-eligibles for the Oaks.

Kentucky Oaks

When: 5:51 p.m. Friday, May 2

Where: Churchill Downs

TV: USA Network and Peacock

Purse: $1.5 million (Grade 1)

Distance: 1 1/8 miles

For: 3-year-old fillies

This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 7:49 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription