posted May 2, 2008 at 18:13 EST in Triple Crown Articles

Unless some miracle happens, the BetUS online racebook may be one of the few places where a true, honest, horse racing fan can place some Pick 3 and or Pick 4 wagers on Derby Day. The reason is that the Kentucky horsemen are not allowing their signal to go through every online wagering site in the United States. They’ve said that they will allow many of the sites to offer wagering on the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, the Woodford Reserve, Humana Distaff and Kentucky Derby on Saturday. That’s not cool since the Pick 4 which ends with the Derby starts in the Distaff Turf Mile which is the seventh race on the card.

No worries for us, though, since we do all of our online sportsbook wagering through the BetUS site. That makes us the smart ones. Now, let’s see if those smarts can translate to a lot of money in the Pick 3s and Pick 4s on Derby Day.

I’ve got two Pick 3 wagers and one Pick 4 wager that I believe gives me the best chance to make the most coin this Saturday.

Let’s take a look at the Pick 3s first.

The first Pick 3 that I really like starts with Race 6, the La Troienne Stakes, then goes to Race 7, the Distaff Turf Mile, and finishes with Race 8, the Humana Distaff.

Here’s how I’ve outlined this Pick 3:

Leg A: Race 6: Game Face (7/2), Informed Decision (4/1), Secret Gypsy (5/1)

Leg B: Race 7: Sharp Susan (3/1), Danzon (4/1), Lady Carlock (15/1), Ventura (4/1), Dreaming of Ana (9/5)

Leg C: Race 8: Hystericalady (9/5), Miss Macey Sue (5/1), Sugar Swirl (5/2)

The total cost of this wager will be $90 for a two dollar bet. That’s not peanuts, but I do think that a wager designed like this has an excellent shot of hitting and remember how big the pools get on Kentucky Derby Day.

Here’s the other Pick 3 I like. This one starts in Race 8, the Humana Distaff, then goes to Race 9, the Woodford Reserve, then finishes up with the Kentucky Derby.

Leg A: Race 8: Hystericalady (9/5), Miss Macey Sue (5/1), Sugar Swirl (5/2)

Leg B: Race 9: War Monger (4/1), Golden Balls (9/2), Artiste Royale (5/1)

Leg C: Race 10: Pyro (6/1), Court Vision (20/1), Z Fortune (15/1), Visionaire (20/1)

The total cost of the above Pick 3 will be $72 for a $2 wager. The odds of hitting the above Pick 3? Well, it depends on how comfortable you are with the four horses I’ve chosen for Leg C - - the Kentucky Derby.

When it comes to the Pick 4, which involves Races 7 thru 10, tough decisions must be made.

This is what I’ve come up with for the Pick 4:

Leg A: Race 7: Lady Carlock (15/1), Ventura (4/1), Dreaming of Ana (9/5)

Leg B: Race 8: Hystericalady (9/5), Miss Macey Sue (5/1), Sugar Swirl (5/2)

Leg C: Race 9: Golden Balls (9/2), Artiste Royale (5/1)

Leg D: Race 10: Pyro (6/1), Z Fortune (15/1)

The total cost for this Pick 4 is a modest $72. The key in my eyes, again, will be whether or not we can win the fourth leg in this Pick 4 - - the Kentucky Derby.

Pick 3 and Pick 4 wagering usually offers huge payouts. This is especially true on Derby Day. Make sure to put some of your money on these ridiculously lucrative wagers.

Keep checking the Locker Room all through the Triple Crown season, as we will cover the trainers, horses and jockeys in each race. You can get your early Kentucky Derby Odds at Churchill Downs bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook in the Future / props section, under Horse Futures: 2008 Kentucky Derby Betting.