The 2021 Preakness Stakes are stuck between a rock and a hard place heading into their post position draw Tuesday.

The Pimlico Race Course, operator of the Triple Crown’s second jewel, must decide whether it will allow Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to run. This comes after Churchill Downs discovered on Sunday that the horse tested positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone — 11 picograms more than the legal limit in races.

Should Pimlico decline to allow Medina Spirit to run, it could have serious betting implications not only on the Preakness Stakes, but also the Triple Crown. Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun will be declared winner at the Kentucky Derby if a second drug test validates the first, but won’t run in the Preakness Stakes. That would mean no Triple Crown winner in 2021, before the Preakness even began.

Regardless of Pimlico’s decision, Sporting News will have the complete results from Tuesday’s draw. Check out the full list of post positions at the 2021 Preakness Stakes.

Preakness Stakes post positions 2021

The draw for 2021 Preakness Stakes post positions was originally scheduled for Monday, but was postponed till 4 p.m. ET Tuesday after news broke that Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for 21 picograms of the betamethasone. Horses are allowed to have as much as 10 picograms of the anti-inflammatory drug in a race.

The test, should it be validated by a second positive, will invalidate Medina Spirit’s run at the Kentucky Derby. Ergo, Preakness Stakes delayed the draw to sort out whether the horse would be allowed to run at Pimlico (its trainer, Bob Baffert, has insisted it will).

This section will be updated with post position and official odds from Pimlico Race Course.

What is the best post position in horse racing?

The best post positions vary, depending on factors such as track and total horses participating. The Preakness Stakes, for example, have seen the most success at the No. 6 post position, with 16 winners. The No. 7 position is a close second, with 14 winning horses produced. That said, each of the post positions numbered 1-8 have seen double-digit winners since the introduction of the starting gate in 1909.

Here is the complete list of Preakness Stakes winners at each post position:

Preakness Stakes winners by post position

(Since the use of a starting gate in 1909)
*Preakness divided

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