Kentucky Derby Picks, Tips, Expert Betting Predictions

2015 Kentucky Derby Post Positions and Expert Betting Tips
by Robert Ferringo - 4/30/2015

I’m not sure what they are feeding horses these days (HGH?), but it seems as if each year the Kentucky Derby field is getting better and better. Last year’s field was one of the fastest that I recall leading up to Derby Day. And this year’s crop of three-year-old horses may be the deepest that we’ve seen in the past decade.

2015 Kentucky Derby Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2015

We are almost there. After six months of rampant speculation, countless hours of pondering, and decades of dreaming of Triple Crown glory, the Kentucky Derby is now so close that we can measure the time to the start in hours. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be more excited. Most years the Derby is the most anticipated minutes on my sporting calendar. This year that anticipation has been ratcheted up about six notches. We have a potentially legendary group of horses — the most impressive in memory — and what will happen remains a thrilling mystery.

Kentucky Derby Prop Bet Odds and Betting Picks
by Dave Schwab - 4/30/2015

The 141st Kentucky Derby will be run this Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Louisville. This race officially kicks off the start of the 2015 Triple Crown horse racing season for the country’s best three-year-old thoroughbreds that also includes the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

Frammento Odds to Win the 2015 Kentucky Derby with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2015

On Thursday Todd Pletcher made a pretty wise decision. He scratched Stanford from the Kentucky Derby. The horse had not been working great and did not have much of a chance in the race even if he was at his best. That opened up a spot in the gate, and the first also-eligible who is poised to step up and grab it is Frammento. It would be a great story if he were to wear the roses after only barely making the race.

2015 Kentucky Derby Pace Scenario and Expert Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2015

Most years, spending time figuring out the potential pace in the Derby, and what it means for the horses involved, is the best use of a handicapper’s time and effort. There are exceptions, of course. Last year, for example, no amount of pace study could have told you that California Chrome was going to get an impossibly perfect trip. Hopefully things will be more predictable this year. The problem here, though, is that, for a number of reasons, it’s very tough to predict just what is going to happen with the pace this year.

2015 Kentucky Derby Betting Advice: Expert Offers Live Long Shots
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2015

When you have two horses like American Pharoah and Dortmund in the same race — not to mention Carpe Diem, Mubtaahij, and others — you have a very top-heavy race. The good news, though, is that the public is going to throw their cash at those top horses in bulk. That means that there are going to be a lot of horses going off at very high prices. The challenge for bettors is to determine which ones of those fat prices actually offers some value. In that quest, here are three live long shots in the Derby field:

2015 Kentucky Derby: Handicapping the Jockeys
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2015

In horse racing the littlest guys are often both the most important and the most interesting. A good ride by a jockey can make a good horse a great one, and a bad ride can throw away a race — and your investment, too. You would think that any jockey that rides in the Kentucky Derby would be a great rider. After all, there are only 20 spots in the starting gate, and there are hundreds of professional jockeys in North America.

2015 Kentucky Oaks Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2015

It’s an oversubscribed field of 15 horses entered in the Kentucky Oaks on Derby eve this year, but only 14 will run. Don’t ask me why they limit the Oaks to 14 while 20 can enter the Derby — it makes no sense. It isn’t the greatest field ever set for the race, but it’s more than solid and respectable. Oaks day can be an excellent warmup for bettors and a chance to get a sense of how the track is playing and what it could mean for the next day when all the marbles are on the line.

Todd Pletcher in the 2015 Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2015

It’s time now for what has become an annual tradition in recent years. This is where I tell you why betting on Todd Pletcher in the Kentucky Derby is a lousy idea despite the fact that he could have as much as 20 percent of the field racing under his name this year. He is the most successful trainer in North America and a seemingly annual winner of the Eclipse Award for top trainer.

Will there be a Triple Crown Winner in 2015? Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/28/2015

This time of year — the week of the Kentucky Derby — is when thoughts of a Triple Crown winner really intensify. Well, really, those thoughts reach their peak after the Derby has been run and we can judge whether we think the winner is worthy of joining Secretariat, Seattle Slew and the other all-time legends. Looking at it now is a bit more fun, though, because we aren’t bound by reality — we can dream about whatever horse we think is best and consider their chances accordingly.

2015 Kentucky Derby Handicapping: Champion Pedigrees
by Trevor Whenham - 4/28/2015

One of my favorite things to do during the lead up to the Kentucky Derby is to study the pedigrees of the runners. For one thing, the quality of horses that are good enough to race at this level is usually very impressive. Each year there are different trends and tendencies that emerge that will be good subplots for the race.

Keen Ice Odds to Win the 2015 Kentucky Derby with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/28/2015

You can’t win the Kentucky Derby unless you are in the Kentucky Derby. That’s just a fact. That fact almost became an insurmountable barrier for Keen Ice. He didn’t have enough points to get into the field on his own and only made it in after Todd Pletcher chose not to enter Madefromlucky. He’s getting his chance now, though, and his connections believe in him.

Handicapping the 2015 Kentucky Derby Trainers
by Trevor Whenham - 4/23/2015

As is always the case, there is no lack of good storylines surrounding the trainers in this year’s Kentucky Derby. Trainers are interesting — they are the biggest factor in the development of the horses and their ability to race on the big day, but on the actual race day, and especially in the race itself, there is nothing they can do to help their horse reach the finish line first. It is out of their hands — and you can tell that it drives most of them crazy.

Bolo Odds to Win the 2015 Kentucky Derby with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/23/2015

There are so many horses in the Kentucky Derby that are tough to figure out because they are so well-matched and competitive. Luckily, there are others, like Bolo, which we don’t need to spend too much time worrying about. He showed promise earlier in his career, but now he just doesn’t seem fast enough or particularly suited for the dirt track he’ll have to run over.

Kentucky Derby Trivia Questions and Answers for 2015
by Trevor Whenham - 4/23/2015

As has become a tradition, I have assembled some really tough Kentucky Derby Trivia questions and answers for you. If you get five of the eight correct then you really are a champion in your own right. So here are some trivia questions and answers for 2015:

2015 Kentucky Derby Betting Tips and Expert Wagering Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 4/22/2015

In the best of years, winning money betting on the Kentucky Derby requires a much bigger dose of luck than most races — and much more luck than most handicappers would admit. When the field is as deep and talented as this year, though, the difficulty factor ratchets up even higher. To try to decipher this brutally-tough field this year — just deciding between the two Bob Baffert horses is next to impossible, never mind the other 18 runners — here are five Kentucky Derby betting tips to keep in mind:

2015 Kentucky Derby Handicapping: Experience and the Curse of Apollo
by Trevor Whenham - 4/22/2015

If you have been following the Kentucky Derby for any amount of time then you have probably heard of the Curse of Apollo. To put it simply, this is as airtight a trend as you will ever see in sports of any kind. Apollo was a presumably great race horse, though one far before my time — and I can’t exactly check him out on YouTube.

2015 Kentucky Derby Betting Trends and Handicapping Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 4/22/2015

In a good year the Kentucky Derby is very tough to handicap. In years like this one, though, it’s almost impossible. Both American Pharoah and Dortmund look like they could be generational talents. To win, though, they will not only have to beat each other but also a top end field as deep and talented as we have seen in a long time. Carpe Diem would be favored any other year, and horses like International Star, Froster, Materiality, Mubtaahij, and Firing Line are far easier to like than your typical random Derby entrant.

Ocho Ocho Ocho Odds to Win the 2015 Kentucky Derby with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/16/2015

I was intrigued and even excited by this horse heading into the Blue Grass Stakes. I didn’t expect him to beat the very good Carpe Diem, but I thought he could be second best. In a race with some really great horses at the top like this Derby, I am always on the lookout for longer-priced horses that offer some value.

Itsaknockout Odds to Win the 2015 Kentucky Derby with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/16/2015

I should admit a bias right up front. I am passionate about almost all things Kentucky Derby. One thing I absolutely can’t stand, though, is a second-tier Todd Pletcher horse. Pletcher struggles to get even his best horses to perform on Derby day, and in his pursuit of quantity over quality he often puts horses in the race that would be much better suited in other, lower-profile spots.