HORSE RACING HORSE TRACK BETTING ARTICLES

The Kentucky Derby is one of the premier events of the year on the horse racing calendar and shouldn't be missed by bettors on Saturday, May 6, 2017. Post-time from Churchill Downs is scheduled for 6:34 p.m. ET, and all of the action can be seen live on NBC.... 

The Kentucky Derby field was an odd one to put together this year. There were big upsets all over the country in the biggest races of the year, and that has taken a crop of three-year olds that was originally considered to be top heavy and turned it into a group that really could be primed to see a big upset happen.... 

Part of the allure of the Kentucky Derby is the fact that the payoffs on the race are typically out of this world. Even when the favorites hit the board, the exotics are often three, if not four digits, and that alone presents a heck of an opportunity for fortunate bettors. But when the longshots hit? That's when you know you're going to be throwing a heck of a party from your bet that will only last just over two minutes.... 

The Belmont Stakes tends to be the forgotten leg of the Triple Crown when a pony doesn't win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. The lead up to the race is long, and the end result tends to be the most unpredictable of them all. Still, if you're not comfortable handicapping winners in one of the toughest races of the year, there's still plenty of ways to make money over the mile and a half jaunt. Prop bets have a tendency of being even more profitable than winning the race itself.... 

The Belmont Stakes lost some of its luster when Nyquist was beaten in the Preakness Stakes and proceeded to pull out of contention for the prospective rematch with Exaggerator. However, as bettors, we still see opportunity abound in the third leg of the Triple Crown, especially with a whopping 13 horses entering the field to run the mile and a half marathon at Belmont Park.... 

This time of year, most of the attention is being paid to the three-year old ponies getting ready to take to the mile and a half jaunt at the Belmont Stakes. That said, we've always got our eye all over the Sport of Kings, and Saturday's Shoemaker Mile is a Grade 1 race which could be ripe for the picking for the savvy bettor.... 

For the first time in three years, the Belmont Stakes will be contested without the Triple Crown hanging in the balance. Nyquist came to the Preakness Stakes as the undefeated Kentucky Derby champion, but he left Pimlico with his first blemish. Exaggerator captured the second leg of the Triple Crown, and now, all of us in the horse racing world are hoping to see the rubber match between these two run on the second Saturday of June.... 

If you're like us, you believe that the Preakness Stakes is a dud of a race to bet on. Is it really worthwhile to try to put exotic bets together knowing that a Nyquist/Exaggerator exacta ticket might only pay $5? It'd be depressing to us, to say the least. Instead of banking on those two horses to finish 1-2 though, we're far more interested in some of the Preakness Stakes props which will be offered at BookMaker.eu.... 

The mass majority of horse racing handicappers out there are going to be backing Nyquist to win the Preakness Stakes. He's the 3-to-5 favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, and it's really hard to argue with him at this point, especially with the way the Preakness Stakes draw panned out.... 

Nyquist is the overwhelming favorite to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown, and you're going to be hard-pressed to find a three-year old pony in the field at the Preakness Stakes who can beat him. That said, there are a bunch of colts who have really good odds on their head who could ultimately provide a huge payoff.... 

The winner of the Peter Pan Stakes often goes on to run in the Belmont Stakes and usually has a legitimate chance to win the race. That's why Saturday's race is going to be incredibly important in the Triple Crown chase even though no one is running in this race that ran in the Kentucky Derby.... 

We're only a couple days removed from the Kentucky Derby, and already, the winner of the first leg of the Triple Crown, Nyquist has made his way to Baltimore to get ready for the Preakness Stakes. Nyquist will be the odds-on favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, but he's got a long way to go to match the immortality of American Pharoah.... 

It doesn't matter whether the horse which won the Kentucky Derby was a 50 to 1 longshot or a 2 to 1 major favorite. Whichever pony hits the line first on the first Saturday in May will have the same question asked about him: Can he go on to win the Triple Crown?... 

Prop bets are an exciting part of Kentucky Derby betting, especially since you don't necessarily need to pick out the winner of the race to cash your ticket. Below is a list of some of the props you'll find on the board at BookMaker.eu before the Run for the Roses goes to post.... 

The posts have been drawn, and the morning line odds have been posted for the Kentucky Derby. Nyquist has been lined as a massive 3 to 1 favorite, but it's anyone's guess whether he'll live up to the billing of the top dog in the Run for the Roses or not.... 

The field for the Kentucky Derby was essentially set a few weeks ago with the conclusion of the Arkansas Derby, and since then, bettors have been jockeying for position and changing the odds on some of their favorite horses to win the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.... 

Last year, American Pharoah raced into the hearts of sports fans everywhere by winning not just the Kentucky Derby, but the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes as well to capture the Triple Crown. He became the first pony to do so since Affirmed in 1978 to win all three of horse racing's most coveted jewels.... 

There was a long stretch at the Kentucky Derby in which favorites couldn't buy a break. Over the course of the last few years though, it's been all chalk at the Run for the Roses, beginning with Orb in 2013, California Chrome in 2014 and the great American Pharoah, the Sport of Kings' first Triple Crown winner since 1978 last year.... 

Longshots of 50 to 1 don't cash all that often in sports betting. In horse racing though, magical things happen, especially in fields of 20 horses like we have at the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird was the last massive longshot at 50 to 1 to win the Run for the Roses, and though we aren't sure there are any colts with prices that high who can ultimately win this year, there's definitely some good value on the board with some of the ponies in the middle of the pack.... 

Only one of the 12 horses slated to run in the Arkansas Derby have already qualified for the Kentucky Derby. There will be at least two at the end of the night on Saturday, as the winner of the Arkansas Derby will get 100 Derby Points, while the runner up will score 50. Both horses and perhaps the third place finisher - who will get 20 Derby Points - will end up being the last to qualify for the Run for the Roses.... 

The Lexington Stakes is the last chance for three-year old ponies to get any points for the Kentucky Derby.It's not all that likely that any of the colts in this field will ultimately find themselves in the Run for the Roses in a few weeks, but if there are enough defections, it's entirely possible that the winner could go to Churchill Downs.... 

Every year, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby heads to Churchill Downs as one of the top dogs for the Kentucky Derby. In all likelihood, this year won't be an exception to that rule, as a stacked field will head to post at Santa Anita Park with high expectations on Saturday night.... 

The first of the three 100 Derby Point races of the day will take place at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Wood Memorial hasn't produced elite level horses in quite some time, but this crop of three-year olds in the Empire State could prove to be an exception to the rule.... 

Of all of the 100 Derby Point races on the docket these next two weeks, the one with the most importance might be the Blue Grass Stakes. The three favorites in this race have far from enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby, and a poor showing here from Zulu, Donegal Moon and Brody's Cause could see them both left out of the Run for the Roses.... 

This time of year, horses racing at a number of different tracks across the country will have a chance to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. The Spiral Stakes only awards 50 Kentucky Derby Points to the winner instead of the 100-point races at Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita and the likes, but regardless, whomever hits the line first on Saturday night will surely be heading to the hallowed grounds of Churchill Downs....