Preakness Stakes post positions: Full draw & odds for the 2023 Triple Crown race

Zac Al-Khateeb

Preakness Stakes post positions: Full draw & odds for the 2023 Triple Crown race image

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.

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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.

Belmont 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.

First Mission, the second favorite on the morning line, scratched Friday with an ankle issue, leaving just seven horses in the field. 

Post positionHorseOdds
1National Treasure4-1
2Chase the Chaos50-1
3Mage8-5
4Coffeewithchris20-1
5Red Route One10-1
6Perform15-1
7Blazing Sevens6-1
8First MissionSCR

MORE: Fast facts to know about 2023 Preakness horses

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 positionPreakness winners
112
212
312
414
513
616
714
810
94
102
112
123
131

MORE: All-time Preakness Stakes winners

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.

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)

YearWinner
1911Watervale
1930Gallant Fox
1934High Quest
1937War Admiral
1941Whirlaway
1949Capot
1950Hill Prince
1960Bally Ache
1994Tabasco Cat
2015American Pharoah
2019War of Will
2021Rombauer

2 — (12)

YearWinner
1912Col. Holloway
1939Challedon
1943Count Fleet
1944Pensive
1947Faultless
1967Damascus
1968Forward Pass
1970Personality
1974Little Current
1979Spectacular Bid
1986Snow Chief
2017Cloud Computing

3 — (12)

YearWinner
1913Buskin
1916Damrosch
1956Fabius
1966Kauai King
1973Secretariat
1975Master Derby
1980Codex
1983Deputed Testamony
1984Gate Dancer
1988Risen Star
1993Prairie Bayou
2013California Chrome

4 — (14)

YearWinner
1909Effendi
1927Bostonian
1933Head Play
1936Bold Venture
1948Citation
1952Blue Man
1953Native Dancer
1961Carry Back
1964Northern Dancer
1991Hansel
1992Pine Bluff
2000Red Bullet
2007Curlin
2020Swiss Skydiver

5 — (13)

YearWinner
1918Jack Hare Jr.
1922Pillory
1931Mate
1938Dauber
1940Bimelech
1946Assault
1955Nashua
1957Bold Ruler
1969Majestic Prince
1976Elocutionist
2011Shackleford
2016Exaggerator
2022Early Voting

6 — (16)

YearWinner
1914Holiday
1915Rhine Maiden
1929Dr. Freeland
1932Burgoo King
1935Omaha
1951Bold
1954Hasty Road
1959Royal Orbit
1965Tom Rolfe
1978Affirmed
1985Tank’s Prospect
1987Alysheba
1996Louis Quatorze
1999Charismatic
2004Smarty Jones
2013Oxbow

7 — (14)

YearWinner
1920Man O’ War
1921Broomspun
1924Nellie Morse
1928Victorian
1945Polynesian
1972Bee Bee Bee
1982Aloma’s Ruler
1989Sunday Silence
1990Summer Squall
1995Timber Country
1997Silver Charm
2008Big Brown
2017Lookin at Lucky
2018Justify

8 — (10)

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

9 — (4)

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

10 — (2)

YearWinner
1962Greek Money
1998Real Quiet

11 — (2)

YearWinner
1926Display
2001Point Given

12 — (3)

YearWinner
1917Kalitan
1981Pleasant Colony
2005Afleet Alex

13 — (1)

YearWinner
2009Rachel Alexandra

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.