Heading to the mutuels can provide you with all sorts of opportunities to win and win big at the Kentucky Derby. However, it's almost impossible to strike it rich in what amounts to be a rather unpredictable race. Instead, looking at some of the top props could provide bettors with much more reasonable opportunities to find winning tickets.
BOB BAFFERT VS. TODD PLETCHER
Of course, the two top trainers in the world right now won't actually be running around the track, but they might be the most intriguing figures in the entire Kentucky Derby.
Baffert is -225 to have his highest finishing horse be better than the highest finishing horse of Pletcher at +190. It's a prop which makes sense, knowing that Baffert is saddling the two favorites in American Pharoah and Dortmund.
However, in this case, Pletcher is the bet as we see it, and a lot of it is strength in numbers. Whereas Baffert has the two biggies in the race, those are his only two entries. Pletcher has a team of four on his side, and we think he has a great strategy to make one of his four a winner.
Stanford is going to go out to the head of the pack to challenge both American Pharoah and Dortmund. These three are all speed balls and are all going to want to be leading going into the first turn at Churchill Downs.
In the event that Stanford can run the full distance, he'll be a legitimate contender. In the event that he can't, that only clears the way for Carpe Diem, Itsaknockout and Materiality, all of which whom are off-the-pace runners and are closers by nature.
Asking one of Pletcher's three closers to finish in front of both American Pharoah and Dortmund isn't an impossible task. We would still think that the Baffert horses will win this race more often than the Pletcher horses would, but +190 is a fantastic price, especially knowing that there could be a win to be had if the Baffert colts tire each other out in the first mile of the race.
WILL THE KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER WIN THE PREAKNESS
The bet on the yes is definitively the right one to make, even with no idea whatsoever who is going to win the Run for the Roses.
Go back and look at some of the longest shots on the board who won the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird was 50 to 1 in 2009. Animal Kingdom was 21 to 1 in 2011. Giacomo was 50 to 1 in 2005. Those horses went off at the Preakness Stakes at 6 to 1, 5 to 2 and 6 to 1 respectively.
Again, keep in mind that these were the really big underdogs who won this race. Mine That Bird ended up going against Rachel Alexandra, the super filly in the Preakness Stakes, a situation which won't be the case this year. Giacomo ended up in a field against two of the Kentucky Derby favorites in the Preakness Stakes.
For the most part, favorites who don't run well at Churchill Downs don't take the trip to Pimlico, and that means we aren't likely to see either American Pharoah or Dortmund in the second leg of the Triple Crown if they don't win. But imagine if one of these two does win the Kentucky Derby? Almost instantaneously, that colt will get installed as a 1 to 2 favorite at best to win the second leg of the Triple Crown as well.
Playing the odds suggests that one of the three favorites (American Pharoah, Dortmund or Carpe Diem) will win the Kentucky Derby, and if any of those three do, they'll be huge favorites at the Preakness Stakes. Even if none of the three do though, you're talking about likely having no worse than 4 to 1 choice heading into the Preakness, odds of which aren't terrible when you're talking about the +148 price BookMaker is offering on the Derby winner to also win the second leg of the Triple Crown.
BookMaker's online racebook will carry all of the great horse racing odds for the Kentucky Derby. Bet on every major track in North America with just a few simple clicks of your mouse, and parlay your wagers for even bigger winnings with rebates of up to 8%.
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The Kentucky Derby will go to post on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Catch the Kentucky Derby live on NBC.
