Kentucky Derby Betting - Keeping it Simple is the Key

So many outside forces govern our selection process of the Kentucky Derby that it is sometimes easy to forget that the “Run for the Roses” needs to be handicapped like it is the fourth race on the card at Aqueduct on a Wednesday afternoon.  Facets of a race that would normally never be considered somehow have a way of rearing their ugly head on the First Saturday in May and tend to sway us off of a sensible path.  Aside from the black and white running lines we find in the Daily Racing Form, it is just as crucial to have a solidified foothold on the trappings that could possibly snare the avid horseplayer come Derby Day.  Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that I have learned the hard way over the years.

1. The faster horses have the better chance to win the race.  Just because it is the Kentucky Derby, a 45-1 shot who has only a maiden win to their credit is not going to suddenly “wake up” and run like Secretariat.
2. Don’t bet a runner because they have a catchy name, this only works in the movies.
3. Don’t listen to the media experts.  The worst thing that can happen to you is to be talked off of a horse you like by some “professional” handicapper.  People on TV have no more of an idea what is going to happen than you do.  If they were truly professionals they would not be broadcasting their picks to thousands of strangers.
4. Don’t avoid a horse because someone you hate is betting on them.
5. Never accept a prop bet that there will be a Triple Crown winner.  This is the hardest accomplishment in sports to achieve and it has only been done eleven times in over 130 years.
6. Don’t become smitten with sentimental Derby stories.  A 97 year old owner that has conquered addiction and bankruptcy wins the public’s sympathy, but won’t do you a lick of good in the final furlong.

               
Above all, soak in every minute of the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports”.  It only comes once a year and is a piece of Americana that should be treasured.  Use good sense and sound handicapping principles and in a few days you just might find yourself draped in a blanket of roses!