When you start hanging out with spectators that love horse racing, you start to hear a lot about how they won by betting on Kentucky Derby favorites. Also known as Kentucky Derby contenders, this sounds like a great tip for a beginner. This is especially true since favorites have a 30 percent chance of winning. However, you will soon learn that there is more to this list of favorites than is first expected.
To get started with using the favorites measurement tool to win your first Kentucky Derby, you will need to understand what to listen for, when to listen, where to look for released information, and who has the best advice for the derby and horse racing in general. Once you grasp the general ideas in this area of knowledge, you will improve your chances of picking the top horses dramatically.
When to listen for Kentucky Derby favorites
When you start to do your research on the topic of Kentucky Derby contenders, or favorites, pay attention to the dates. Soon, you will see that one of the key details in getting this type of information means accessing it at exactly the right time. Around the middle of April, there will be a few reports that began to predict who will be running in the Kentucky Derby and whether or not they will perform well.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that the actual favorites list will not appear until a few days before the Derby actually begins. For example, in 2012 the Kentucky Derby will be on May 5th; this means that the favorites for the Kentucky Derby will be announced May 1st – 4th.
Who has the best advice for Kentucky Derby Contenders?
Of course, when you are reading an article or list that entails descriptions of horses, you know you need to listen to an expert. Despite this, it can be difficult for a beginner to understand which authors are going to do the best job. Many horserace fans will tell you that this is the reason that horseracing is known as an art. In other words, you are not going to be able to figure out everything about horse racing in your first year.
Nonetheless, you can go ahead and read everything about the Kentucky Derby favorites, use your best judgment, and analyze everything again in the following year. Over time, you will have your favorite experts they do a good job of predicting Kentucky Derby winners. Until then, you are just getting your feet wet.
Kentucky Derby favorites media sources for beginners
When you are browsing the horse favorites articles around the time of the Kentucky Derby, you will start to see that some are compilations of other news sources. Some of the most mentioned media outlets in relationship to the Kentucky Derby are well known.
Sadly, few beginners remember to check the newspaper next to Churchill Downs. This media source is called the Courier-Journal and it is operated in Louisville, Kentucky where the Derby is held each year. Other key newspapers to note are the Associated Press, ESPN, and the New York Times.
Most of the ratings these articles will reference are based on information posted before the Kentucky Derby at KentuckyDerby.com website. Still, this does not mean that an expert with their own website or other horseracing analysts and their websites should be ignored. In fact, these lesser-known websites often exclusively deal with horseracing and are credited with being the “insider tip” that helped define a winning bet at the Kentucky Derby.
Understanding Kentucky Derby favorites reports
The official race list is available before the race at KentuckyDerby.com. On their webpage titled, “2011 Kentucky Derby Live Odds,” you will see every horse with the number of the horse, horse name, trainer, the jockey, morning line, and current odds. Obviously, this is about betting, but what does it mean?
One tip you need to know is that sometimes a horse will drop out of the race. In this case, you will see an SCR written in the odds column. Otherwise, you will see what other people think about this horse. This means that if it everyone from the public is betting so far is convinced a horse will win, that horse will be number 1 in the odds list.
What is the morning line?
Next to the odds column on the KentuckyDerby live odds webpage, you also have the “morning line” report. This is the official “handicapper” or third party odds predictor at the track. If you think that this report is created by an expert, think again. The history of the morning line only goes back to 1930-35. The reason for this is due to a compromise racetracks made with state governments to create less mafia control over the racetrack industry.
Unfortunately, most of these predictions do not mean much unless the pool of morning line selectors are great judges. In other words, new bettors for the Kentucky Derby favorites can be a real hit or miss with the morning line odds.
What is exacta betting?
If scroll down the page at the official Kentucky Derby site where odds are listed, you will see exacta betting and the odds for that. While this is not the kind of betting for beginners, it does not mean you should ignore it. In order to win an exacta bet for the Kentucky Derby, you will need to do your homework or be willing to risk more money.