AThe field for the 2018 Kentucky Derby online betting favorites has finally been set. Magnum Moon having won the Arkansas Derby set himself up as a potential betting favorites to win the Derby.
Magnum moon, trained by Todd Pletcher didn’t race as a two-year-old. Rather, Magnum Moon has won all four races he has been entered in. With the 100 Kentucky Derby-qualifying points earned on Saturday, tops the leaderboard with 150.
This Kentucky Derby betting favorite will be trying to become the fourth winner of the Rebel and Arkansas Derby to win the Kentucky Derby. This has been achieved by Sunny’s Halo (1983), Smarty Jones (2004) and American Pharoah (2015).
“It’s very difficult to do what he’s done since Jan. 13, break his maiden, to now be 4 for 4 and win the Rebel and Arkansas Derby and be a Grade 1 winner in his fourth start,” Pletcher said Saturday night. “It’s a real tribute to the horse’s talent.”
2018 Kentucky Derby Betting Favorites
Pletcher said he plans to fly Magnum Moon to Kentucky on April 23, which will give the horse eight days to get used to the track.
In addition to Magnum Moon, Pletcher has three other horses in the top five in qualifying. Florida Derby winner Audible is third (110 points). Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy is fourth (110). Wood Memorial winner Vino Rosso is fifth (107).
“It would be hard to imagine that we could have a much better last month, but we’re just very fortunate and thankful and hope they can continue to train well and stay healthy through the Derby,” Pletcher said.
Also, Pletcher won his first Kentucky Derby as a trainer with Super Saver in 2010. He won his second in 2017 with Always Dreaming. He will be win it for the third time and second year in a row this year.
Are you looking for the latest Kentucky Derby betting odds? Welcome to KDOB, your home ofr the new Kentucky Derby 144 betting line and latest line movements ahead of the 144th Kentucky Derby.
The qualification races for the Kentucky Derby, which means we have less than three weeks until the Run for the Roses. After some impressive performances this past weekend, there are some changes in the latest odds, as well as a few new contenders.
1. Justify (5-2)
Even though he was idle this past weekend, Justify retained the best odds to win the Kentucky Derby thanks to his impressive win over Bolt d’Oro at the Santa Anita Derby. Now that the Kentucky Derby qualification is over, expect Justify to retain the top spot.
2. Magnum Moon (5-1)
Magnum Moon vaulted to second on the list thanks to his impressive win at the Arkansas Derby this weekend, and he is likely to stay there unless he gets injured before the Derby or doesn’t look good in the practice runs leading to the Derby.
T3. Mendelssohn (7-1)
Mendelssohn dropped one spot this week due to Magnum Moon’s performance over the weekend, but he is still one of the top contenders in the field because of his impressive performance in the Dubai World Cup.
Top 2 Kentucky Derby Contenders
T3. Good Magic (7-1)
Good Magic’s win at the Blue Grass Stakes brought him back into the top five, and even though he didn’t race this weekend, he vaulted up a spot this week in betting odds.
T5. Audible, Bolt d’Oro (8-1)
In any other year, Audible would have been the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, winning four of his five starts. However, since there are a couple of undefeated horses in the field this year, his success seems to be overlooked.
Bolt d’Oro remains in the same position he was last week and it likely won’t change before the Kentucky Derby unless an injury occurs or doesn’t perform well in the practice runs before the Derby.
Breaking news for Kentucky Derby bettors looking to wager on Audible this coming Kentucky Derby. When it comes to winning the Derby, having the right jockey is as important as having the right horse. This week, Todd Pletcher just improved the odds of his horse Audible winning the Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano announced that he would be riding Audible at the Kentucky Derby this year.
“I feel like I need to be with Todd,” Castellano told DRF.
With Castellano announcing his intention to ride Audible, it means Bolt d’ Oro is without a jockey. Bolt d’ Oro finished second to Justify at the Santa Anita Derby.
Kentucky Derby Betting Online Lines
However, Mick Ruis, who owns and trains Bolt d’Oro, already had a backup plan if Castellano decided to leave, and is said to be focused on landing Victor Espinoza, who is considered to be an upgrade considering the fact that Castellano has no Kentucky Derby wins, while Espinoza has won the Derby three times, has won seven Triple Crown races, and won the Triple Crown while riding American Pharoah in 2015.
Xavier Castellano Audible Wagering Odds
The only problem with Ruis’ plan will be convincing Espinoza to join his team. At 45-years-old, Espinoza was the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown, and since he achieved the feat in 2015, he hasn’t been as active as he was in his younger years.
Having a horse like Bolt d’Oro might help convince him to give the Triple Crown one more crack, but it won’t be easy, especially since he has a great relationship with Bob Baffert and might not want to team up with another trainer.
However, if Ruis can convince Espinoza to ride Bolt d’Oro at the Kentucky Derby, it will make the horse the favorite to win the Derby because it is hard to bet against Espinoza at the Kentucky Derby when he has one of the best horses in the field.
With only a few races left until the Kentucky Derby, this past weekend provided a chance for some horses to solidify their position in the Derby. For the horses on the outside a chance to prove they belong in the field. This field of 20 will participate at the Kentucky Derby. Today we will cover the winners and losers on the Kentucky Derby trail on the road to Churchill Downs.
Some of the horses were able to improve their stock, while others failed to do so, which is why we decided to make a list of the winners and losers from this past weekend.
Potential Kentucky Derby Trail Favorites
Justify: The Bob Baffert trained horse has been moving up in recent weeks, but it officially became a legitimate contender this weekend after defeating Bolt d’Oro in the Santa Anita Derby, in a race that wasn’t close.
The knock against Justify had been that he had not been in a high stakes race, but he eliminated all the concerns with the win over Bolt d’Oro, who had been considered the best horse in the field since last year.
Good Magic: Good Magic became a contender after defeating Bolt d’Oro at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and he solidified his position with an impressive win at the G2 Blue Grass Stakes, winning by over one and a half lengths.
Kentucky Derby Upsets at Churchill Downs
Bolt d’Oro: Even though his second place finish at the Santa Anita Derby was a respectable finish, Bolt d’Oro’s recent performance dropped him. Now to one of the horses with a good chance to win the Kentucky Derby.
Restoring Hope: A Baffert trained horse that hasn’t lived up to its expectations . This is very rare, but Restoring Hope managed to do just that. The horse has only one win in four races. He finished third to Vino Rosso at the Wood Memorial this past weekend.
At this late stage, Baffert is probably better off keeping him out of the Derby. This is because he hasn’t looked very good in qualifying and will probably struggle if he is in the race.
The Kentucky Derby is now less than four weeks away but first is the Kentucky Oaks and Derby. When it comes to Kentucky Oaks and Derby betting the wagering odds are always misleading. Similar to during the entire qualification process, the odds for the Derby have changed once again with a few new horses emerging as contenders thanks to their performances over the weekend.
Here are the latest Kentucky Derby Wagering Odds
1. Justify (3-1)
After defeating Bolt d’Oro at the Santa Anita Derby, Justify became the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Now that he is done with qualification, Justify won’t be entered in any more races before the Kentucky Derby, which means he will likely have the best odds to win unless he suffers an injury before the race.
2. Mendelssohn (5-1)
Mendelssohn takes the second spot this week thanks to his impressive performance in the Dubai World Cup and Bolt d’Oro’s second place finish on Saturday. Even though there are still some doubts about his ability to win the Kentucky Derby, the horse has lived up to expectations so far, and a lot of horse racing fans believe there is good value in his wagering odds.
3. Audible (7-1)
Audible dropped a spot a week after winning the Florida Derby heading into the Kentucky Oaks and Derby betting 2018. Despite the drop, his odds to win the Kentucky Derby improved this week, and with the big wins he had during the qualification process, he also is a good value at his current odds.
4. Magnum Moon (8-1)
After another weekend in which he didn’t race, Magnum Moon remains in fourth place with improved odds to win the Kentucky Derby. If he performs well at the Arkansas Derby this week, expect to see his odds improve again next week.
5. Good Magic, Bolt d’Oro (9-1)
Good Magic remained in fifth position this week despite his win at the Blue Grass Stakes, while Bolt d’Oro dropped down to fifth after losing to Justify over the weekend. With neither horse having any more races until the Kentucky Derby, don’t expect their odds to change too much.
As we draw one week closer to the first leg of 2018 the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby media poll has undergone a few changes, and another contender has emerged from the pack. Last week, Runaway Ghost went from being unranked to 19th in the Kentucky Derby media poll. This week Mendelssohn was the big mover, jumping from 15th last week to 3rd.
Bolt d’Oro maintained his spot at the top of the 2018 poll. Audible moved up from third to second due to an injury to McKinzie, who has been ruled out of the Kentucky Derby.
Magnum Moon remained in the fourth spot, while Justify dropped two spots into fifth.
Here are the Top 10 Horses According to the Latest Kentucky Derby Media Poll Mendelssohn
Kentucky Derby Media Poll (Week 6)
Horse (1st-place votes) Points Previous
1. Bolt d’Oro (14) 500 1
2. Audible (3) 463 6
3. Mendelssohn (5) 436 15
4. Magnum Moon 423 4
5. Justify (2) 400 3
6. Good Magic 389 5
7. Solomini (1) 348 7
8. Noble Indy 314 9
9. Enticed 307 10
10. McKinzie (1) 270 2
Mendelssohn rising in the rankings means the media are starting to come around when it comes to European based horses, who are often overlooked because they haven’t done well at the Derby in the past.
The fact that Mendelssohn won the Dubai World Cup also helped boost his rankings.
“Despite the historical irrelevance of the UAE Derby on the Kentucky Derby, It is impossible to shade Mendelssohn’s rousing performance Saturday,” Paulick Report editor Scott Jagow said.
“He’s already won on three continents and three different surfaces, with his drilling of the competition in Dubai coming over dirt. A half-brother to Beholder, one of the great champions of recent memory, the sky appears to be the limit for son of Scat Daddy.
Not Rob Gronkowski the player, but rather Rob Gronkowski the horse will race in the 144th Kentucky Derby. The horse is named after New England Patriots Tight End. Gronkowski is one of the most popular players in the NFL considered to be one of the greatest.
European based horse trained by Jeremy Noseda will be hoping the Gronkowski name brings him some luck at the Derby.
Over the weekend,, Gronkowski, moved past Mendelssohn on the European Derby leaderboard. This means he will a spot in next month’s Kentucky Derby.
Funny Names at the Kentucky Derby
It has become somewhat of a tradition in horse racing to have uniquely named horses running in the Kentucky Derby. The 144th Kentucky Derby will be no different.
“We’ve had this dream, and now the dream is alive,” Noseda said after the horse’s victory.
Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ Kerri Radcliffe, which owns Gronkowski, said his height — the same as the Patriots star (6-foot-5) — and size of the horse made it an appropriate name.
“I love the New England Patriots, and as Rob Gronkowski is 6-5 and about the same width, I thought it would be an appropriate name for the horse, as he’s built much the same,” Radcliffe told the Racing Post last month.
Gronk has lived up to expectations so far, finishing first in his last four races, two of which came in March.
“It sounds strange, but I haven’t yet seen on the racetrack what I believe this horse is capable of. I’m sure there’s more to come,” Noseda said.
Gronkowski’s rival on the European trail, Mendelssohn, will compete against him in the Kentucky Derby after qualifying for the event by winning the Dubai World Cup on Saturday.
Gronk has attended the Kentucky Derby in the past with teammate Tom Brady. However, it is unclear if Gronk will make the trip to Churchill Downs this year. Since there is a horse named after Gronk participating in the event we might seee him.
Going into 2018 Kentucky Derby and the Santa Anita Derby we are witnessing all sorts of changes. These changes are heavily impacting Kentucky Derby odds and line changes. There was a big shakeup in the Kentucky Derby odds this week due to an injury suffered by McKinzie, who had the best odds to win the Kentucky Derby last week. With McKinzie expected to miss the event, the oddsmakers have a new favorite to win the Derby, and it isn’t the horse you think it is.
Here are the latest 2018 Kentucky Derby favorites odds update:
144th Kentucky Derby Betting Lines Update
1. Justify (7-1): Justify now has best odds of winning the Kentucky Derby replacing fellow Bob Baffert trained McKinzie. Despite being one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby, Justify has only been in two races, and will try to prove it deserves the high odds when he faces some of the top contenders in the Santa Anita Derby this week.
T2. Bolt d’Oro (8-1): You may have already noticed that Bolt d’Oro remains one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby. It appears the oddsmakers aren’t totally sold on him after moving Justify one spot ahead of him even though neither horse raced last week. Bolt d’Oro’s who has four wins in five starts, will still be one of the popular betting choices to win the Derby.
T2. Audible (8-1): Audible finds himself back in the top five after winning the Florida Derby this past weekend. The win at the Florida Derby gave Audible his fourth consecutive win, after finishing third in his first race.
4. Magnum Moon (10-1): Magnum Moon remains in fourth place after moving up last week due to his win at the Rebel Stakes. Even though he was idle this week, he still managed to avoid getting leap frogged by the trio of horses hot on his trail.
5. Good Magic, Noble Indy and Solomini (12-1): The three horses were idle this past weekend, but with Good Magic participating in the Blue Grass Stakes this week, expect him to have sole possession of the fifth best odds if he wins.
In 2009, Sunland Park’s Mine That Bird pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history. Mine That Bird won the first leg of the Triple Crown despite his 50-1 2018 Kentucky Derby betting odds. This year, Sunland Park’s local horsemen will be hoping for a similar upset when Runaway Ghost runs at the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Current Kentucky Derby online betting odds have Runaway Ghost sitting at +3000.
On Sunday, Runaway Ghost won the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby, which all but guaranteed him a spot at this year’s Derby, giving his trainer confidence about his chances to win the Kentucky Derby.
“We know he’s legit,” said trainer Todd Fincher. “The problem with him is he’s a little headstrong early in the race. We knew with an outside draw that we could get the horse to relax better. It worked out exactly like we thought.”
2018 Kentucky Derby Betting Odds
Runaway Ghost’s owner was very impressed with the win and called the horse the best thoroughbred he has ever had, which is very high praise.
“I’d have to say he’s No. 1 of the Thoroughbreds I’ve ever had,” said veteran owner and breeder Joe Peacock. “I’d go as fast as I could,” he added of a trip to Churchill Downs.
Runaway Ghost had 7-2 odds to win the race, but didn’t get out to a fast start thanks to All Out Blitz. Blitz set the early pace, getting the opening half mile in 45.80 seconds. Runaway Ghost sat near the back of a tightly bunched pack up the back stretch.
“We had a long run to the first turn,” Fincher said, “and I figured we might be a little wide, but that would be better than a horse laying on us, forcing us to the front or forcing our hand. We wanted to let the horse run his own race, and it worked out perfectly.”
Runaway Ghost is now 4-2-0 in his seven starts, and will look to improve the record at the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby is now five weeks away, and like it has during the entire qualification process betting picks for the Derby have changed once again with a few new horses emerging as contenders thanks to their performances over the weekend. Without further ado we preview current 144th Kentucky Derby predictions for Saturda, May 5th, 2018 Run for the Roses.
If you have yet to place your 2018 Kentucky Derby predictions at a sportsbook or if you are still looking to learn how to bet on the Derby then please continue reading further.
Favorite Kentucky Derby Betting Picks
1. McKinzie (7-1)
McKinzie finished second to Bolt d’Oro at the San Felipe Stakes two weeks ago. And despite the controversial ending to the race, he remains one of the top contenders to win the Derby. Even though he moved past Bolt d’Oro and Justify to claim the top spot. With a few more qualification races before the Kentucky Derby, don’t be surprised to see the favorites list change again.
T2. Bolt d’Oro (8-1)
Bolt d’Oro remains one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby, but it appears the oddsmakers aren’t totally sold on him after moving him down one spot in a week he didn’t perform. This Kentucky Derby betting favorite, who has four wins in five starts, will still be one of the popular betting choices to win the Derby.
T2. Justify (8-1)
Justify now shares the second best odds of winning the Kentucky Derby with Bolt d’Oro. Despite being one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby, Justify hasn’t faced a lot of the top competition, and will try to prove it deserves the high odds when he faces some of the top contenders in the remaining qualifying races.
Top 2 Kentucky Derby Betting Predictions
4. Magnum Moon (10-1)
His win at the Rebel Stakes last week moved him to the top contenders list, and even though he was idle this week, he still managed to leap frog Good Magic, who held this spot last week. Like Justify, the biggest knock against him is the lack of top competition, but we will see how well he holds up against top competition in the coming weeks.
5. Noble Indy (12-1)
The newest addition to the top five is coming off a win at the Louisiana Derby this weekend. The three-year-old has three wins in his four starts, with a third place finish at the Risen Star Stakes. Since he isn’t scheduled to race again until the Kentucky Derby, expect his odds to drop as other contenders emerge.
