Kentucky Derby Looks Wide Open

While college basketball bettors and fans look forward to March Madness, horse racing bettors look forward to the first Saturday in May. That’s the day of the Kentucky Derby and the start of the Triple Crown. Most years there is a clear-cut favorite at this time. That isn’t the case this year as a number of contenders could get the job done.

At Bookmaker.eu, both Mastery and McCraken are better than +800. Irish War Cry is just under 10-to-1 and Classic Empire is a shade over 10-to-1. Others who have been given a chance include Gormley, Girvin and One Liner.

The advantage to betting horse racing futures is that you’ll almost always get better odds than on race day. The drawback is that you lose your bet if your horse doesn’t win. That includes him not running in the race.

The San Felipe Stakes on March 11 will separate Gormley and Mastery, while some other big prep races are coming up. These include the Blue Grass Stakes and the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Girvin is expected to run in the Louisiana Derby on April 1.

Several horses, such as Practical Joke, El Areeb and Irish War Cry are running later today. Keep an eye on those races and be on the lookout for any change in the futures odds. A rough trip could lead to more favorable odds appearing. A winning horse could also see a bit of reduction in his odds.

And don’t forget the other big races before the Derby, such as the Dubai World Cup, where Arrogate is currently -110 at Bovada. With a win, he would become the all-time North American-based money earner with more than $17 million. California Chrome is the current leader with $14.7 million. The first-place prize is $6 million in Dubai, so you can see why Arrogate is leaving California to compete there.