Mike Battaglia, the Churchill Downs bookmaker in charge of setting the morning line, told USA Today in an interview on Sunday that Wednesday's post position draw will determine who he sets as the preliminary favorite in the 138th Kentucky Derby:
"If Bodemeister has a bad draw, then it's got to be Union Rags," Battaglia told USA TODAY Sports. "And if Union Rags has a bad draw, it would be the other way around."
With a full 20-horse field, the rail will be extremely difficult for anyone to overcome this year. However, Battaglia also revealed that the early odds on either of the two front-runners, Bodemeister and Union Rags, won't be higher than 4-1 regardless of where they draw.
But while those two horses have seemingly drawn ahead of the field, there are several who could very conceivably make a charge from the back in what has become an increasingly unpredictable event.
For more on the world of horse racing, head to And Down The Stretch They Come. For more on the 2012 Kentucky Derby, keep it locked to this StoryStream.