News from over the pond is Nyquist is set to give the performance of his life and win the 142nd Kentucky Derby later today. I’ve put a small wager on Suddenbreakingnews for no other reason than I like the name, a rank outsider but my gut instinct won me the National and the Scottish National as well as the 2000 Guineas a few weeks ago. I’m no tipster though!
There is a huge field of runners and riders and the race is over ten furlongs or a mile and a quarter to us brits. Also noted is they don’t quite rate their horses as we do, their horses are rated by breeding rather than winning. If you take a look at the field today, they all start in stalls, with Nyquist the favourite starting in stall thirteen. To me this is another race like the National; it really is luck who wins, according to their statistics my pick may come in third, all being well. I’ve placed an each way bet and if you go to some betting sites today you will see they pay out on the first five places, such as Skybet.
So the ones to watch now, who are being mentioned by the commentators are Nyquist, and it’s worth mentioning here the odds at our bookmakers are better than those in the US, Nyquist is 3/1 with Ladbrokes, followed by Mohaymen and Exaggerate, both at 8/1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill.
Brody’s Cause is also an outsider although he may need to be quick; he starts in stall nineteen and will need to get out ahead fast.
So if you have no idea about how the Derby will play out, just choose a horse like you would for the National. Pin, eyes closed and hope you pick a winner. This race kicks off at 11.34pm our time with a big build-up of six races previous to the Derby which takes places at the track in Churchill.
Other racing today at Ascot, Lingfield, Haydock, Hexham Nottingham, Warwick, Thirsk and Wexford, check out the bookies special offers on today before you place your bets.