2012 Kentucky Derby post positions and odds: Bodemeister hot out of the gate

The post positions and opening line odds have been announced for the 138th annual Kentucky Derby horse race, taking place this Saturday, May 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Bodemeister (pictured above) has opened as the favorite, at 4-1 odds.

Post position is huge for a horse. What it means is which gate a horse starts from, one being the farthest inside and 20 being the farthest outside. To put its importance in perspective, here are the winners from 1900 to 2005 broken down by post positions (courtesy of the Derby website):

1     12
2     9
3     8
4     10
5     12
6     6
7     7
8     8
9     4
10     10
11     3
12     3
13     4
14     2
15     3
16     3
17     0
18     1
19     0
20     1

Clearly, the farther outside a horse is, the less likely he or she is to win. Here are how the post positions fell for the 2012 derby, followed by the opening odds on each horse (though those are subject to change throughout the week).

1. Daddy Long Legs 30-1
2. Optimizer 50-1
3. Take Charge Indy 15-1
4. Union Rags 9-2
5. Dullahan 8-1
6. Bodemeister 4-1
7. Rousing Sermon 50-1
8. Creative Cause 12-1
9. Trinniberg 50-1
10. Daddy Nose Best 15-1
11. Alpha 15-1
12. Prospective 30-1
13. Went The Day Well 20-1
14. Hansen 10-1
15. Gemologist 6-1
16. El Padrino 20-1
17. Done Talking 50-1
18. Sabercat 30-1
19. I'll Have Another 12-1
20. Liaison 50-1

Will you be placing any bets?