Kentucky Derby Picks, Tips, Expert Betting Predictions

2014 Kentucky Derby Picks and Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 4/2/2014

It’s hard to believe, but with the dawning of April we are just a month away from post time for the Kentucky Derby. Often at this time of year we see a fairly clear picture emerging of which horses might be the top contenders. This year all we see is a total mess. After the Florida and Louisiana Derbies last weekend the field is as wide open as it can be at this time of year. Top contenders have faltered when given their opportunity, and lesser horses have excelled, but we don’t know if they can keep doing it.

2014 Kentucky Derby Contenders with Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 4/1/2014

We’re now just over a month away from the greatest two minutes in sports — the Kentucky Derby. By most years at this point we don’t really have a good sense of who is going to win the biggest of races. This year, though, the field is more wide-open than almost ever. We haven’t seen a superstar emerge yet — though that could change as soon as the Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial Stakes are run this weekend.

2014 Santa Anita Derby Picks with Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/1/2014

The 2014 Santa Anita Derby will be run on Saturday, April 5. Given the ridiculously wide-open nature of the Kentucky Derby field at this point, this is hopefully a race that will provide some much-needed clarity. There is an intriguing field coming together, but the race really seems to be all about three strong contenders looking to prove that they are serious threats on the first Saturday in May.

2014 Wood Memorial Picks with Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/1/2014

The Wood Memorial Stakes just oozes history. Four of the 11 horses that have won the Triple Crown came out of the Wood as their key prep, with Seattle Slew being the most recent. Lately, though, it has struggled to produce Derby winners, and winners have had more than their share of bad luck.

2013 Kentucky Derby Post Positions
by Robert Ferringo - 5/3/2013

Wednesday evening’s Kentucky Derby post draw is still sending shockwaves through the odds of this year’s Run for the Roses. With one of the most balanced and open fields in recent memory set for this weekend’s affair, the post position has been one of the main factors in determining who will prevail on one of the biggest stages in sports.

2013 Kentucky Derby Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/2/2013

The Kentucky Derby is almost here. The time left before post time can be measured in hours. Finally. All that is left to do is make some 2013 Kentucky Derby predictions. I’m not going to pick a winner — I won’t do that until post time is closer and the odds start to shift. What I will do, though, is predict four things that I expect to have a big impact on how the race plays out:

2013 Kentucky Oaks Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/1/2013

For three-year-old colts, there is no bigger race on the planet than the Kentucky Derby. It is the race that all owners, trainers and jockeys dream of winning. For fillies, the Kentucky Oaks, held the day before the Derby, doesn’t hold quite the same magical appeal, but it is still one of the biggest prizes of the year, and it is run in front of the second-biggest horse racing crowd of the year as well.

2013 Kentucky Derby Trends
by Trevor Whenham - 5/1/2013

Handicapping the Kentucky Derby is very tough. Bettors need to look for every advantage they can find to come out with more money in their pockets than they started with. Here are five Kentucky Derby trends that could help point you towards the winner:

2013 Kentucky Derby Handicapping: Experience
by Trevor Whenham - 5/1/2013

It seems like every year lately we have to address the same storyline in the Kentucky Derby — the lack of racing experience as a two year old. All thoroughbreds have a birthday on Jan. 1 regardless of when they were actually born. Back in 1882, a horse named Apollo won the Derby after having started his career earlier in his three year old year.

2013 Kentucky Derby Pace Scenarios
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2013

When handicapping the Kentucky Derby, you have to pay close attention to pace. Basically, that means you have to look at how horses prefer to run a race and whether the race is likely to allow them to run like they want to. A beneficial pace can make it easier for a horse to win, while a problematic pace can kill the chances of a horse. Last year provided a perfect example of both.

2013 Kentucky Derby Jockeys
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2013

Jockeys aren’t very big. I have over a foot and more than 100 pounds on most jockeys. I sure wouldn’t mess with them, though. You have to be incredibly tough and a little crazy to do what they do. The jockey in the Kentucky Derby can be the difference between a win and a loss depending on the decisions they make. They are an absolutely crucial part of handicapping the Kentucky Derby because just one rider mistake can foil the chances of the horse in the chaos of the race. Here are six of the most compelling jockey storylines in this year’s Kentucky Derby;

2013 Foreign Horses in the Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2013

The UAE Derby — a race held on the undercard of the Dubai World Cup, which is the richest race in the world — is a qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby. The winner of that race will almost certainly be able to make the Derby field regardless of what else they have done leading up to the race. That means that for the third year in a row handicappers have to deal with a challenge — a horse based outside of the U.S. running in the Derby.

2013 Kentucky Derby Horse Pedigrees
by Trevor Whenham - 4/30/2013

Call me a geek if you want, but my very favorite part of Kentucky Derby handicapping — and there are few things I love more than Kentucky Derby handicapping — is studying the pedigrees for insights and warning signs. Kentucky Derby pedigree analysis is far more of an art than a science. Horses are being asked to run further and faster than they ever have before, and we really don’t know how they will handle it until it happens.

2013 Kentucky Derby Props Odds
by Dave Schwab - 4/30/2013

The 2013 Triple Crown horse racing season for the top three-year old thoroughbreds in the sport gets underway this Saturday with the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. This is race is the crown jewel of the three-race series followed by the Preakness Stakes in two weeks and the Belmont Stakes in early June.

Todd Pletcher Horses Dominate Kentucky Derby Field
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2013

Todd Pletcher is the king of thoroughbred racing. The trainer has been the leading trainer in the country by earnings seven times since 2000, including the last three years. He has a significant lead this year, too. He’s a polarizing figure in the sport despite his success, though.

2013 Kentucky Derby Trainers
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2013

Part of what makes the Kentucky Derby so fascinating is that there are so many characters involved. The horses are obviously crucial, but they can’t accomplish anything without the hard work of the trainers and the jockeys. Here’s a look at some of the 2013 Kentucky Derby trainers who will factor heavily into the betting decisions for this year’s race:

2013 Kentucky Derby Betting: Favorite Currently Unclear
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2013

We are in a strange situation heading into this Kentucky Derby. With post time less than a week away, we really don’t have a clear sense of which horse is going to be the Kentucky Derby favorite. Most times we know which horse will be the favorite or at least which two horses have a chance. This year, though, things are muddy.

Female Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/28/2013

Barring a late injury, Mylute will enter the starting gate on the first Saturday in May for the Kentucky Derby. When he does, he will have, like most horses in the field, and exceptional jockey on his back. The only difference is that that jockey is the only woman in the field — Rosie Napravnik. This is her second time in the race, and she has a chance to make some real history.

Trainer Doug O’Neill and the 2013 Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/28/2013

If the horse stays healthy, then Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents will be one of the three or four top favorites at post time in the Kentucky Derby. He’d get a lot of attention as the winner of one of the four biggest Derby prep races in any circumstances. This year, though, he’ll get even more attention than normal — and not all of it positive — because of trainer Doug O’Neill.

Horses That Can Win the 2013 Kentucky Derby
by Trevor Whenham - 4/24/2013

The field is coming into focus for the Kentucky Derby. By now we know that any horse that enters the race has a chance to win it. Mine That Bird taught us that emphatically. There are some real contenders and some horses that are less likely to win, though. If I had to limit the likely field of 20 to something more manageable, then I would identify these six horses that can win the Kentucky Derby (odds to win the Kentucky Derby are from Sportsbook.ag):