In the world of horse racing, the Kentucky Derby is definitely a race that you have to check out. It’s going to be held on the 2nd and 3rd of May at Churchill Downs. Now, May is still a long way away but that doesn’t mean punters aren’t already eyeballing the contenders merrily.
If you’re going to start handicapping now, you need to look at different races as we get to the Derby, not just the Derby itself. Doesn’t that make sense? You don’t want to bet from the gut when there’s so much money to be made on a great horse. You have to think carefully about how you’re going to set up your bet down the road.
There are some races that you’ll want to study historically for any horses that seem interesting.
The first race to look at would be the Risen Star Stakes. That just happened on the 22nd of February, but it’s a very important race. You’ll have some allowance winners in the mix, and very few maiden horses. Maiden horses that haven’t won are always a wildcard, because you just don’t know what their final performance will be. Still, the Risen Star Stakes is a race that gets everyone’s attention. Many have made Derby picks just off this race alone!
The Fountain of Youth Stakes is another one to watch. It just aired a day or two ago as well, and it features a very hefty purse. This means that the star horses were definitely on that track. If you’re new to handicapping, don’t worry: we’ll cover more handicapping tactics in just a little while.
The final two races to check out would be the Davona Dale Stakes, as well as the Rachel Alexandra Stakes. These are races that feature nothing but fillies. Some might scoff at these races, but we like them for one reason: it’s easy to catch the silent top picks. While everyone’s watching the boys, there just might be a filly that surprises us. You just never know; fillies have taken the Kentucky Derby before!
So, what horses are you looking at for the Kentucky Derby right now? We’d love to hear your picks! And if there’s a race that we need to go back and check out again, do let us know in the comments!