inside draw

It's an immense accomplishment to be one of the 20 Thoroughbreds out of the current sophomore crop of 17,146 to earn a coveted starting berth in the GI Kentucky Derby. But the cruel fate of a random post-position draw annually assigns the dreaded No. 1 gate to a single member of that elite set. Because the Derby is unmatched in American racing in its outsized stature and jumbo field size, so too is the stigma of breaking closest to the inside fence prior to the chaotic first-turn free-for-all, where primo...