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 position | Horse | Odds |
| 1 | National Treasure | 4-1 |
| 2 | Chase the Chaos | 50-1 |
| 3 | Mage | 8-5 |
| 4 | Coffeewithchris | 20-1 |
| 5 | Red Route One | 10-1 |
| 6 | Perform | 15-1 |
| 7 | Blazing Sevens | 6-1 |
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 position | Preakness winners |
| 1 | 12 |
| 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: 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)
| 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 |
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 |