Trainers not upset with inside Derby post positions

LOUISVILLE — It’s often intriguing to hear what horse trainers and connections think of their post positions for the Kentucky Derby. The 150th running of the Derby will be Saturday at Churchill Downs. Post time is 5:57 p.m. CT.

The two trainers with the most inside post positions are also training two horses each for the Derby.

Danny Gargan is training Dornoch and Society Man.

Dornoch drew the dreaded No. 1 post position during Saturday’s post position draw that was open to the public and held on the terrace of the refurbished paddock area at the historic race track. Dornoch had morning line odds of 20-1. Society Man is at long shot at 50-1 coming out of the 20 post.

Dornoch could change the complexion of the race with an early run to the front.

“Dornoch is going to come out of there running so it’s not the end of the world,” Gargan said. “It’s the new gate so a lot of people are saying the 1 hole is not what it used to be. So we’re not breaking into that funny turn and that will help too. I don’t think it’s the kiss of death.

“There’s no speed on our outside so hopefully he’ll break running and we’ll put him on the front end and see how it goes. We planned on keeping his face clean, now we’ll keep it real clean. And Society Man is a closer so he’ll just break and get over and sit midpack, maybe 10th or 11th and hopefully make a big run.”

Sierra Leone won the Bluegrass Stakes, coming on from last place after not wanting to be loaded into the gate at Keeneland.

Sierra Leone drew the tough No. 2 spot in the starting gate, and is the second choice in the Derby morning line at 3-1.

“With this particular horse, what I didn’t want was the 19 or 20,” Sierra Leone trainer Chad Brown said. “In fact, it would have been hard for him to drop over without losing ground, significant ground around the first turn.”

Brown has two horses in the Derby, with the other being Domestic Product, with odds at 30-1 coming out of the 15 post.