(NEXSTAR) – In its storied 151-year history, there is an infamous starting gate number that has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner.

The gate numbers, known as post positions, are decided by a random drawing. Betting odds shift based on where horses start and how they respond to certain posts, according to Covers.com, with the biggest swings often for No. 1 – which hasn't seen a winner since 1986 – and the outermost positions.

While post position 5 has had the best record with 10 winners, the most recent being Always Dreaming in 2017, post position 17 is the only one that hasn’t produced a single first-place finish.

But could this be the year the curse ends? Sandman, ridden by highly-regarded jockey Jose L. Ortiz, was initially assigned post position 17 with enviable 5-1 odds, according to

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