So that's now 41 straight runnings of the GI Kentucky Derby in which the horse breaking from the one post has lost.Take nothing away from Golden Tempo (Curlin), who ran the race of his life for rising star trainer Cherie DeVaux and was a deserving winner after breaking from post 16. He beat Renegade (Into Mischief), who was saddled with the one post. But had the post positions been reversed, would Renegade have won? It's a fair question.Renegade was roughed up at the start, bumping repeatedly with other horses, which caused him to temporarily lose his momentum. The Equibase chart caller noted: “Renegade bumped with Albus at the start, was slammed again shortly after when Litmus Test came in.”His jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., did an admirable job of working his way back into the fray. Though Renegade was probably further back than he had wanted him to be, Ortiz got him to settle and saved ground for much of the trip. But he had to get off the rail at some point and had to swing into the seven path on the far turn to find running room. From there, despite bumping with Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) in midstretch, he closed relentlessly to lose by a heart-breaking neck.Simply put: He had a bad trip, and it might have cost him the race.The last horse to win the Derby from post one was Ferdinand, who did so in 1986. It's true that a lot of the horses who were assigned that post since then, were longshots. As T.D Thornton noted in a thorough exam of the history of horses breaking from the inside post prior to this year's Derby, over the past 70 years only three horses who had the one post were favored. Renegade was the second choice at 5.65-1.Churchill went to its new starting gate, which can accommodate all 20 starters in one gate, for the 2020 Derby. It was supposed to make life easier on those who drew the dreaded one post. Since then, Renegade is the only horse among those breaking from the rail position to hit the board. According to the Equibase footnotes, at least three other horses–Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), Dornoch (Good Magic), Citizen Bull (Into Mischief)–had traffic problems on their way to defeat. Here's what the chart footnote had to say about Citizen Bull, who finished 15th in the 2025 Kentucky Derby: “Citizen Bull broke out severely, stacking up five runners to his outside.”Ironically, including Renegade, three of the seven horses who drew the rail since 2020 were trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Ortiz. The post position gods clearly don't like them.For now, Golden Tempo should be regarded as the leader of the division. But Renegade will have his chance at redemption, possibly in the GI Belmont Stakes. With a good draw and a clean trip, look for him to prove that he is the best of this bunch.Moving the Oaks Post Time Was a Home RunThere were so many great stories out of Churchill Downs last week that one got lost and that was the move to run the GI Kentucky Oaks at 8:43 p.m. and on prime time television on NBC.The experiment was a tremendous success as horseplayers responded enthusiastically to the later post time. Wagering from all sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race day card set a new record of $89 million, up 18% from the prior record set in 2024. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was an all-time high of over $29 million, up 29% from last year.The ratings are not yet in, but in previous years the race was broadcast on the USA Network. According to Sports Business Journal, from 2023 to 2025, the event averaged 304,000 viewers. It wouldn't be surprising if the numbers this year soared well past the one or two million mark.Churchill has done wonders with the Oaks Day card, which used to be an afterthought. In 2016, the Oaks Day handle was $49 million. Ten years later, the handle has increased by 81%.The success of the “prime time” Oaks will surely lead to speculation that the Derby should also be run at night and in roughly the same time slot. Don't look for that to happen. With NBC having so many obligations with other leagues and sporting events, the Saturday night schedule is too crowded for the network to fit in the Derby. On this Saturday night, NBC aired Game 7 of the Celtics-76ers playoff series. As big an event as the Derby is, it's never going to be able to push something like the decisive game of an NBA playoff series to another time spot.Donna Brothers Goes Out With a BangAfter covering the Derby for 26 years, Donna Brothers announced last week that she is retiring and this year's broadcast would be her last. From the day she arrived on the scene, she's been a fixture, with her duties including interviewing the winning jockey moments after the horses crossed the wire. She always knew the right questions to ask.On the walkover for this year's race, Barton grabbed DeVaux, who would win the race. DeVaux was clearly star-struck that Barton was assigned to ask her questions. She even incorrectly complimented Barton for being the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown race.But Barton's best moment came when the NBC team was asked for its picks. She was the only one to select Golden Tempo.Anything Can Happen in the Kentucky DerbyThe race came very close to creating what may well have been the biggest upset in Derby history. How on earth did the maiden Ocelli (Connect) finish third? The $12,000 yearling buy lost by just a length.He had run in three maiden races, two at the Fair Grounds and one at Churchill Downs, and lost each time. No maiden has won the Derby since Brokers Tip in 1933. Since then, and prior to this year, the best finish by a maiden during this span was recorded by On the Mark, who finished eighth in 1950.The post The Week in Review: Yes, the One Post in the Kentucky Derby is Still a Problem appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.