LEXINGTON, Ky. — 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 20-horse Derby field.

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.

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., Flavien Prat, C2 Racing Stable, Ian Parsard, Shining Stables and Stefania Farms.

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

— 4: Rodriguez, (12-1), Bob Baffert, Mike Smith, SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.

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

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

— 7: Luxor Cafe, (15-1), Noriyuki Hori, Joao Moriera, Koichi Nishikawa.

— 8: 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.

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

— 10: Grande, (20-1), Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, Repole Stable.

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

— 12: East Avenue, (20-1), Brendan Walsh, Manny Franco, Godolphin.

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

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

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

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

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

— 18: Sovereignty, (5-1), Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, Godolphin.

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

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

The only also-eligible horse for the Derby is:

— 21: Baeza, John Shirreffs, Flavien Prat, C R K Stable and Grandview Equine.

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 American Promise — 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 Sandman — 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 Grande — 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. 9 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. 6.

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. 7.

There will be one also-eligible horse for the 2025 Kentucky Derby: Baeza (21). Horses on the also-eligible list can make the Kentucky Derby field if one of the top 20 scratches before 9 a.m. EDT Friday.

In 2022, Rich Strike moved off the also-eligible list and won the Derby from post position 20.

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. 16) 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.

— 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.

— 8: Five G, (12-1), George Weaver, Manny Franco, Gatsas Stables.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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