Kentucky Derby Picks, Tips, Expert Betting Predictions

Kentucky Derby Trivia Questions and Answers
by T.O. Whenham - 4/28/2012

We’ll keep this simple — if you get at least seven of these Kentucky Derby trivia questions and answers correct then you really know your stuff. Be sure to check back all week as we dissect the Run for the Roses from every angle and give you the best chance to win big on Derby Saturday.

2012 Kentucky Derby Handicapping: the Experience Factor
by T.O. Whenham - 4/27/2012

Thanks to the impressive Bodemeister one of the biggest storylines heading into the Kentucky Derby is going to be the so-called “Curse of Apollo”. In 1882 Apollo won the Derby after only making his racing debut earlier in his three-year-old year. In the 130 years since, though, no horse has managed to win the biggest three year old race in the world without racing at two.

2012 Kentucky Derby: Foreign Horses in the Run for the Roses
by T.O. Whenham - 4/26/2012

For the second year in a row Kentucky Derby bettors are going to have to face a relatively rare challenge — how to deal with a horse that comes in to the race after being based outside of North America. As if picking a winner in this race isn’t hard enough already.

Kentucky Derby Odds: Value Prop Bets With Predictions
by T.O. 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:

Uncle Mo at the 2011 Kentucky Derby: Will He Race Saturday?
by T.O. 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.

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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Pace Scenarios
by T.O. 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:

2011 Kentucky Derby Handicapping Trends
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Trainers
by T.O. 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:

2011 Kentucky Derby Jockeys
by T.O. 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.

Foreign Horses in the Kentucky Derby
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Live Longshots
by T.O. 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.

Female Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby
by T.O. 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.

Horses That Can Win the Kentucky Derby
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders Early Look
by T.O. 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.

2011 Kentucky Derby Futures Odds and Predictions
by David 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.

2010 Kentucky Derby Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 5/1/2010

The Kentucky Derby is just around the corner. Finally. I start watching two year olds closely every year in about mid-August in hopes of spotting the ones that will be a factor in early May. It's all in preparation for my favorite sporting event of the year. Sadly, it doesn't turn into a winning day at the windows as often as it should. I put that down to the fact that no race is tougher to handicap than the Kentucky Derby. Or more compelling. With all the preparation over, and nothing left but the waiting, it's time to make some final 2010 Kentucky Derby predictions.

2010 Kentucky Derby Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 4/30/2010

We’re just over 24 hours away from the Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports as we set up for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. This year’s field is as wide open as any in recent memory. California turf horses are dominating the roster, turf horses are prohibitive favorites, the weather could again be a factor, the best three-year-old in the country isn’t in the race, and beyond that it’s just like every other race at Churchill Downs.