The Kentucky Derby is going to be held on Saturday, May 5th, this year. This is one of the biggest races of the year, and it is always the one that attracts the most amount of media attention. The Kentucky Derby is the first of the three Triple Crown races held for three-year old thoroughbreds, and it’s one of the most heavily bet on races every single year. If you’re thinking about placing a bet, we’ve put together a small preview for you. It’s still too early to know the Derby field for certain, but at this point in the year, a few main contenders have stepped forward. More information will be available as the lineup for the race is determined.
Right now, one of the most talked about horses is Magnum Moon. Magnum Moon won the 2018 Arkansas Derby, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious Kentucky Derby prep races. A win in this race has solidified his entry to Kentucky and has also given him the spotlight. Magnum has won all four of his career starts, but Arkansas was by far the most competitive field that he has seen. The heavy traffic at the beginning of the race was akin to what he will experience during the Derby. He battled through this, and once he took the lead he never gave it up. Magnum is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has a reputation for training some of the best horses in the world.
Solomini is another horse worth considering. Yes, Solomini only finished third at Arkansas, but the same traffic problem that Magnum Moon was able to overcome held Solomini back. Despite this poor start to the race, he was able to surge hard at the end and finish third overall. Thanks to the strong finishes in other races, Solomini should have more than enough points to qualify for the field at Kentucky.
My Boy Jack is another frontrunner that’s likely headed to the Derby. He won at the Lexington Stakes with an impressive race. Lexington is just behind the Arkansas Derby when it comes to Kentucky Derby comparability. However, because he is not in the top ten for point standings going into the Derby, My Boy Jack is likely not going to see as much attention as some other horses. This makes him a strong value bet, but more information will be needed before a bet is placed on him.
The other two horses rounding out the top three (besides Magnum Moon) include, Good Magic and Audible. Good Magic is just behind Magnum in the point standings and both have already earned over $1 million in their lifetimes.
Gronkowski, the horse named after the New England Patriots Tight End, will also be entered in the Derby. A lone win in London allowed Gronkowski to earn a guaranteed berth into the race as the European entry. This horse is definitely at a disadvantage compared to others, but could make for an interesting race.
One of the most exciting things about the Kentucky Derby is that there are many factors that will influence the outcome of the race, and not all of them can be known until the starting bell goes off. However, by looking at the information that we do have and then finding which bets are going to have the highest expected rates of return, we can start to formulate which horses are worth betting on, and which ones to stay away from. This is not an exact science by any means, but it is an exciting one and with some strong analytical skills and a little luck, it can be a very lucrative one.