BETTING THE KENTUCKY DERBY

There are few things in life that are comparable with betting the Kentucky Derby. Sports betting is a rush all its own, with the excitement and the competition and it’s difficult to beat no matter what the sport. But betting the Kentucky Derby takes it to another level all together. Sitting in the freshly painted stands staring out at the manicured lawns and the neatly trimmed hedges, it’s a thing of rare beauty. There are many different ways to enjoy betting the Kentucky Derby but nothing beats being at the racetrack in person and laying down a nice fat thoroughbred horse bet on a beautiful horse, and underdog preferably, that you just know is going to bust lose and make a name for itself by winning. That is one of sweetest moments in all of sports betting and that can only happen on the biggest stage in horse racing, which is of course, betting the Kentucky Derby. All other thoroughbred horse races and horse betting pale in comparison.

Be that as it may, the Kentucky Derby seems to be losing some of its appeal in certain circles around the world. But this is inevitable as the competition to stage mega-horse races and attract the top talent in the world intensifies nearly every day. Some people are even going so far as to suggest that perhaps someday the preeminent horse racing wagering in the world, betting the Kentucky Derby, could be replaced one day by another thoroughbred horse betting event. And while that’s possible it would seem unlikely. It’s quite true that some places such as the Persian Gulf states of Qatar and the UAE are challenging to establish themselves as the great thoroughbred horse racing capitals of the east. So far they are doing a great job by offering the largest purses in the world and constructing first class facilities. And they may be staging events that are gaining slowly in popularity relative to events such as the Kentucky Derby, but it’s almost impossible to imagine this type of luxurious and opulent desert horse racing supplanting the natural beauty and charm of betting the Kentucky Derby in the gorgeous environs of Churchill Downs.

Gambling on Horses

Horse racing is considered by many people to be the most exciting type of gambling there is.  Gambling on thoroughbred horses gives you an unmatched excitement that nothing in gambling can match.  It is always said that the Kentucky Derby held at Kentucky racetrack is the most exciting two minutes of the year.  I would agree.

When gambling on thoroughbred horses we need to know the basics.  You can bet horses to win, place, or show.  That is pretty simple in that it means finishing first, second or third.  If you bet a horse to place if he finishes first or second you will win your bet.  If you bet to show, the thoroughbred horse only needs to finish in one of the top three positions for you to cash your ticket You can also gamble on exactas, quinellas, trifectas, daily double's pick three’s, pick four’s, and pick sixes.  An exacta is picking the exact order of finish of the first two horses. A quinella is similar, but either or your two horses can finish first or second for you to win your bet. A trifecta is betting the exact order of the first three horses.  We already know that picking the exact order is sometimes difficult so you can do what is called boxing horses. For example, lets say you like four or five horses really in a nine-horse field.  You box those four or five horses.  If any of those thoroughbred horses finish first or second you would win an exacta box.  You can do the same thing with a trifecta and box multiple horses.  You should know that the more horses you put in your box the more expensive it gets.

Let's look at those multiple horse racing gambling bets.  They are the daily double, pick three, pick four, or pick 6.  They can be difficult to hit because we have to get the winner of three horse races in a row to hit the pick three, four for the pick 4 and all six for the pick 6.  The daily double is usually the first two horse races of the day or the last two of the day and you need both winners to collect.  Pick three’s are usually available throughout the card, while pick 4’s are usually the last four races of the day and the pick 6 usually the last 6 races of the day. It is not easy to hit these multiple race bets and you will need to box thoroughbred horses together to have a reasonable chance.  For example, you could box three horses in each race of a pick three for a total of $27.  That gives you three thoroughbred horses in each race and if any of the three was a winner in all three spots you would collect.   Boxing three horses in each leg of a pick four would cost you a total of $81.  Now you can see how expensive it can get if you are playing the pick 6 and want to get more than one or two horses into each slot.

There is a lot more to horse racing gambling but this should get you started.  Horse racing gambling is extremely exciting and definitely something that everyone should try at one time or another.