When you are starting twenty horses at the gate, and there can be all kinds of traffic problems, anything is possible in the Kentucky Derby. While it is true that the cream often rises to the top, many a favorite has found the going quite rough, due to any number of different circumstances. VietBet customers have a lot to choose from when it comes to the Run For the Roses, which will start somewhere around 6:50 PM ET on Saturday at Churchill Downs. And keep in mind that there is two-way betting, which means you can wager AGAINST any of these horses as well.
Kentucky Derby Betting Favorites
Let’s take a quick look at the three-year-olds who are getting most of the action:
JUSTIFY (priced at +335, the top favorite) is a potential super-horse, but there is still some mystery about him. And we really mean that. This Bob Baffert-trained colt has the highest single Beyer Speed Figure of any competitor in this race (107). And what is remarkable is that he has continued to win impressively, not only moving up in class, from Maiden Special to Optional Claimer and then the big leap to the Santa Anita Derby, but moving up in distance as well, going seven furlongs, then a mile, and finally a mile and an eighth in that Grade 1 race, where he posted the 107 Beyer, with that huge effort coming under a hand ride no less. Unencumbered, this horse could win by a wide margin. But he may need to be on the lead to make that happen, and there is some other early speed, including a couple of the favored contenders. Justify has also never operated in a crowd before, competing in fields of five, five and seven horses thus far. And then there is the historical element, which shouldn’t really mean much but is scary when you think of it. Not since 1882 – and that is 136 years ago – has any horse won the Kentucky Derby without having raced as a two-year-old. Justify fits that description.
Now we get to another potential monster in this field.
MENDELSSOHN (+525 at VietBet) was sold as a $3 million September yearling at Keeneland, making him very expensive. He was bred in Kentucky, but raced in Ireland and Great Britain, shipping to the U.S. last November to win the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, coming from behind, taking over, and making a strong stretch run. What’s interesting is that even though this Aiden O’Brien-trained colt demonstrated superiority on the grass, he was really bred for the dirt. And what a dirt debut he had! Mendelssohn, lining up in the $2 million UAE Derby at Dubai on March 31, took command right at the start and rambled to an imposing 18-1/2 length victory in a Grade 2 event. He posted a Beyer figure of 106, which puts him right there in Justify’s company. Not only was he the most expensive yearling, he is also the high earner in the field at $1,961,137. The only question as far as the approach of O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore are concerned is whether Mendelssohn is going to try to get right on the pace or stalk from third or fourth position. He can do it either way.
MAGNUM MOON (+950) is trained by Todd Pletcher and is unbeaten in four starts. He’s got a top Beyer figure of 98, but did not have to negotiate a fast pace in the Arkansas Derby and has a tendency to drift out, and there might not be room for that here…….
BOLT D’ORO (+725) is very fast, with Beyer figures over 100 in three of his last four races. This is the son of Medaglia d’Oro, who ran in the Derby and came fourth. A winner of the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes as a two-year-old, with solid second-place finishes in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby – the latter a game effort where he trailed only Justify, our favorite here……….
AUDIBLE (+700) has won four straight, including impressive efforts in the Holy Bull and Florida Derby. This is another horse who can be on the pace or come from behind, and Javier Castellano is back on board after John Velasquez chose to ride Vino Rosso instead.
Place your wagers on the Kentucky Derby at VietBet, where you can get rebates on your action in the racebook and a ton of props in the regular sportsbook that you simply can’t find when you go to the track……. Open your account by depositing with your Visa card, person-to-person transfers (like Western Union) or the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which never incurs a transaction fee!