The first Saturday in May can only mean one thing, the Kentucky Derby. Like The Masters, the Kentucky Derby is a tradition that pulsates across the world. From the start of January trainers begin training their horses with the hopes of making a trip to Churchill Downs. In a matter of two minutes it’s over. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown that is rich with history and tradition. Next to March Madness and the Super Bowl the Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest betting days in the world. The Kentucky Derby has implemented several new outlets and is really flexing their social media muscles this year.
Kentucky Derby Social Media Efforts
The Kentucky Derby is utilizing blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to ensure they bring the best coverage, insight, and analysis to the fans of the sport. Justin Dew and Caroline Smith give a great one two punch for Kentucky Derby blogging. Justin focuses on the racing and betting, with posts like one line for pie, while Caroline focuses on the fashion and entertainment with the ladies first initiative. The Kentucky Derby official Facebook page provides a great source of news, interaction, and an awesome array of fan photos. Jeremy Borseth is holding down the fort with the Kentucky Derby Twitter account with all the insight you could possibly want from a track side perspective.
Kentucky Derby Odds
The Kentucky Derby betting scene is unlike anything I’ve seen. My Dad usually study’s his Daily Racing Form, watches replays of the prep races on TVG, and hears more expert analysis than anyone should be subjected to. It all comes down to picking one of the horses in the list below:
| Horse | Morning line | Jockey | Trainer | Draw | Earnings |
 |
Advice | 30-1 | Rene Douglas | Todd Pletcher | 4 | $261,885 |
 |
Atomic Rain | 30-1 | Joe Bravo | Kelly Breen | 14 | $77,500 |
 |
Chocolate Candy | 7-1 | Mike Smith | Jerry Hollendorfer | 11 | $532,500 |
 |
Desert Party | 12-1 | Ramon Dominguez | Saeed bin Suroor | 19 | $688,467 |
 |
Dunkirk | 4-1 | Edgar Prado | Todd Pletcher | 15 | $193,200 |
 |
Flying Private | 30-1 | Robby Albarado | D. Wayne Lukas | 20 | $193,080 |
 |
Friesan Fire | 7-2 | Gabriel Saez | Larry Jones | 6 | $603,265 |
 |
General Quarters | 7-1 | Julien Leparoux | Thomas R. McCarthy | 12 | $641,735 |
 |
Hold Me Back | 12-1 | Kent Desormeaux | Bill Mott | 5 | $487,274 |
 |
Join In The Dance | 40-1 | Chris DeCarlo | Todd Pletcher | 9 | $90,000 |
 |
Mine That Bird | 40-1 | Calvin Borel | Bennie Wolley | 8 | $374,381 |
 |
Mr. Hot Stuff | 40-1 | John Velazquez | Eoin Harty | 3 | $150,560 |
 |
Musket Man | 25-1 | Eibar Coa | Derek Ryan | 2 | $572,600 |
 |
Nowhere to Hide | 40-1 | Shaun Bridgmohan | Nick Zito | 18 | $100,099 |
 |
Papa Clem | 12-1 | Rafael Bejarano | Gary Stute | 7 | $790,940 |
 |
Pioneerof the Nile |
9-2 | Garrett Gomez | Bob Baffert | 16 | $1,234,200 |
 |
Regal Ransom | 18-1 | Alan Garcia | Saeed bin Suroor | 10 | $1,297,200 |
 |
Summer Bird | 50-1 | Chris Rosier | Tim Ice | 17 | $123,040 |
 |
West Side Bernie | 30-1 | Stewart Elliott | Kelly Breen | 20 | $407,360 |
With so many forums, blogs, and tweets flying around it’s hard to funnel all of this information down into a bet. Second guessing is a given, but just like the NCAA tournament sometimes you just have to get lucky.
My Picks
Win: Dunkirk
Place: Hold Me Back
Show: Pioneerof the Nile
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