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Below you will find updated information regarding the 2011 Kentucky Derby. On this page we will be posting updated articles, picks, odds and information all pertaining to the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Bookmark this page and check back often for updates.
2011 Kentucky Derby Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/6/2011
This is, without a doubt, the hardest edition of the Kentucky Derby I have ever set out to handicap. Most years there are a couple of horses in the Kentucky Derby field that clearly stand out to me, so my biggest job is figuring out how to narrow down the choices or bet them all effectively. This year I have significant problems with literally every horse in the field, and there isn't one that I have a whole lot of faith in. None of them are particularly good in my eyes.
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Kentucky Derby Odds: Value Prop Bets With Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/6/2011
We're now just a day away from the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby field is set, and now it's time to figure out how we are going to finish the day off with more money than we started with. Traditional pari-mutuel betting gets most of the attention, but looking to the props offered by sportsbooks is a good way to take away some of the uncertainty of odds movement, and you can often find nice value in these overlooked bets as well. Here's a look at the most interesting props Bodog has on offer this year:
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Uncle Mo at the 2011 Kentucky Derby: Will He Race Saturday?
by Trevor Whenham - 5/6/2011
The biggest name in the lead up to the 137th Kentucky Derby has been Uncle Mo, and the drama and uncertainty surrounding him isn't fading as we get closer to the race. What's all the hype? Let's take a look. To start, it's important to understand that we are talking about a wildly impressive horse.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Post Position Analysis
by Robert Ferringo - 5/5/2011
Post positioning in the first of the Triple Crown horse races may seem like a random factor of little consequence. It's a race, right? The fastest horse should win regardless of where they start. However, historical trends and the styles and gameplans of the horses all conspire to produce a unique race at Churchill Downs year in and year out.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders
by Trevor Whenham - 5/5/2011
This upcoming Kentucky Derby seems to be unlike any we have seen in recent years - and not in a good way. The Kentucky Derby field is as muddied and unclear as it has ever been. Top contenders have been disappointing, and longshots have won the biggest races. Frankly, it doesn't seem like any horses this year are particularly good. Still, on the first day of May there will be some horse wearing roses, and some bettors that are very happy - especially because the payoffs stand a good chance of being very high because of the uncertainty.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Pace Scenarios
by Trevor Whenham - 5/5/2011
One of the most important factors in determining who is going to win the Kentucky Derby is how the race is likely to set up. You can never determine the pace in advance with complete accuracy because of the chaos that 20 horses running in these conditions causes, but you can usually make a pretty good guess, and that can often help you rule out some horses and warm up to others. Here's a look at how the pace sets up in this year's edition of the race:
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2011 Kentucky Derby Handicapping Trends
by Trevor Whenham - 5/4/2011
- It is pretty close to a golden rule when it came to handicapping the Kentucky Derby that a horse had to have run at least six times in his career in order to be a legitimate contender for the roses. Since 1933 only four winners have run five or fewer times and still had the base of experience and stamina needed to win this race.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Trainers
by Trevor Whenham - 5/4/2011
The Kentucky Derby is all about the horses, but you can't help but get captivated by the human stars. Few people in any sport work as hard or as long as horse trainers do, and few have to endure the incredible frustrations and crushing lows of the sport in search of the all-too-rare highs. Some trainers make you laugh every time they open their mouths, and others just make you want to punch them in the teeth. A high percentage of trainers are characters, though, and all have good stories that led them to where they are. Here are six of the more interesting trainers stories in the 2011 Kentucky Derby field:
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2011 Kentucky Derby Jockeys
by Trevor Whenham - 5/3/2011
Calvin Borel, Twice the Appeal - You can't talk about jockeys in the Kentucky Derby without talking about the guy who has won the race three times in the last four years. What's really intriguing, though, is that Borel almost didn't wind up in the race. All of his prospects washed out on the road to the Derby, so he was left without a horse and had to steal the ride on this longshot at the last moment.
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Foreign Horses in the Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 5/3/2011
If and when Master of Hounds enters the starting gate for the 2001 Kentucky Derby, he'll join a small club of horses - foreign-bred or -based horses that have run in the race. Many people, including myself, consider this the greatest horse race in the world, but it features almost exclusively American horses.
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Kentucky Derby Betting Tips
by Trevor Whenham - 5/2/2011
We are now just days away from the greatest two minutes in sports - The Kentucky Derby. It's by far the single biggest day of the year in horse racing for both fans and bettors. It's also the hardest race of the year to handicap. There are more horses than any other North American race all year, and each one is running the furthest they have ever run, and doing so in front of the biggest, craziest crowd they will ever see. If we were being perfectly rational then there is no way we would ever bet on this race, but there's obviously no fun in that.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Live Longshots
by Trevor Whenham - 5/2/2011
It was two years ago that I sat in the grandstand at Kentucky Derby and tried, like the other 150,000 people there, to figure out what the heck had just happened. Mine That Bird, a 51/1 longshot, had just stunned the world by making an impossible move to take the biggest race there is. Anyone who tells you they knew it was going to happen is lying to you. That was the second highest price horse ever to win the Derby, and the highest since 1913.
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Female Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 5/2/2011
When Rosie Napravnik, who also goes by her first name Anna at times, enters the 2011 Kentucky Derby starting gate aboard Pants on Fire, she'll be just the sixth female jockey to ride in the race. All she has to do is finish in the Top 10 - a real possibility since she's on a live horse in a reasonably weak field - to be the highest finishing female jockey of all time.
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Kentucky Derby Trivia Questions and Answers
by Trevor Whenham - 5/2/2011
I'm a sucker for horse racing, and a sucker for trivia. It only makes sense, then, for me to combine two of my favorite things. In anticipation of the greatest two minutes in sports, here are 10 Kentucky Derby trivia questions and answers to question your knowledge and get you ready for the big day. They really aren't easy, so if you do well then you sure know your stuff: Answers are at the bottom of this page.
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Horses That Can Win the Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2011
I have been watching the Kentucky Derby avidly for almost 30 years. In that time I don't remember seeing a class as confounding and underwhelming as this one. Most years the problem is that there are so many exciting horses that choosing just one is all but impossible. This year the problem is that I'm not convinced that there is any horse good enough to win. There will be a winner though -- that much I know for sure.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders
by Trevor Whenham - 4/21/2011
This upcoming Kentucky Derby seems to be unlike any we have seen in recent years - and not in a good way. The field is as muddied and unclear as it has ever been. Top contenders have been disappointing, and longshots have won the biggest races. Frankly, it doesn't seem like any horses this year are particularly good. Still, on the first day of May there will be some horse wearing roses, and some bettors who are very happy - especially because the payoffs stand a good chance of being very high because of the uncertainty.
Read more about Kentucky Derby Contenders.
2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders Early Look
by Trevor Whenham - 4/19/2011
Want two words to describe the Kentucky Derby trail this year? That's easy - horrible mess. I've been a diehard fan of the Kentucky Derby -- my favorite sporting event - for decades now. In all of that time I have never seen a field of Kentucky Derby contenders this uncertain, undistinguished, and underwhelming as what we have this year. Which horse is the best in the country? Hard to know - none of them have stepped up to the challenge. Who is going to be the favorite in the race? Could be anyone - though it's certain to not be a heavy favorite. Who's going to win? Your guess is as good as mine. A dart board is as good of a tool as any to sort through this field.
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2011 Kentucky Derby Futures Odds and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 3/30/2011
The 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, horse racings' most prestigious event, is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville. Twenty of the top three-year-old thoroughbreds will compete in the annual 'Run for the Roses' in a field that has been determined by more than 60 prep races that are held from the beginning of the year until mid-April. These prep races not only set the field for the Derby, they also provide some solid insight into which horses have the best chance to win the race.
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Kentucky Derby Party -- Infield or Clubhouse: A Kentuckian's Advice on Throwing a Derby Bash
by Kaelan Hollon
Staring down the long, cold barrel of a Kentucky State Trooper's handgun at 2:49 in the morning in the first weekend of May is not a fun way to bide time. Kentucky takes its horses very, very seriously, and attempting to hop on a $120,000 thoroughbred during one's stay in the Bluegrass State does not a good Derby Day make, as a friend of mine recently found out. Handcuffs hurt. And the jails in the Commonwealth? Let me tell you something, Bubba, they ain't a bit of fun.
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Kentucky Derby Betting Tips
by Trevor Whenham
The Kentucky Derby won't be here for several weeks, but I'm already dreaming of cashing a big ticket, and I'm sure I'm not alone in those thoughts. In my mind nothing is more exciting than the Derby, and the lead up and anticipation is almost too much to take. It's way too early to do any serious handicapping because we won't have a good idea of the field for several weeks. What we can do, though, is put some thought into our methodology so that we're ready to make a logical pick when the time comes. Here, then, are seven tips and thoughts that you can let bounce around your mind until the real handicapping can begin:
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