If the Kentucky Derby is like the Super Bowl of horse racing, then it’s no surprise that betting volume and betting options skyrocket on the first Saturday of May. Like the Super Bowl where you can bet everything from the coin toss to how long the national anthem will be, there is nearly an unlimited amount of wagers for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby 2011.
From more traditional bets like win, place, and show to more exotic bets like trifectas, superfectas, and even a Super Hi-5 (where a horse bettor has to select the top five finishers), it’s just the start for horse bettors.
In addition, racebooks offer a wide variety of prop bets, and they can offer decent value while adding some fun to the horse betting. Other sites offer fun free Kentucky Derby contests as well.
Here are just a few of the prop bets available for the 137th Kentucky Derby:
Will any Horse win the 2011 Triple Crown?
Kentucky Derby 2011 Odds: Picks For Prop Bets At Churchill Downs
- Yes +550
No -900
I have to give this one a resounding no and go with the chalk. I can’t see any of these three-year-olds sweeping the Triple Crown. In fact, a good prop bet might be the Over / Under on how many horses actually even make it to all three races. I’d go Under.
How many lengths will the winner of the 137th Kentucky Derby win by?
- More than or equal to 1 length -175
Less than 1 length +135
I have to go chalk again, with the winning margin more than a length. There seems a good possibility some horse will get clear in the stretch and possibly win by three or four lengths. Don’t ask me which one, but it likely will happen.
Official Win Mutual Payoff
- Over $25.50 -120
Under $25.50 -120
This is a tough one, but the three likely betting favorites, Dialed In, Uncle Mo, and Nehro all have some issues, and the fourth and fifth choices in the race figure to be right around 12/1 to 14/1. So we have to go with the Over on this one.
What will the odds of the pre-race favorite be at post time in the 136th Kentucky Derby?
- Over 7/2 -150
Under 7/2 +110
This one is easy. Dialed In is likely going to be the favorite, but he will be higher than his 4/1 morning line odds, probably around 5.8/1. Don’t forget, last year’s Derby favorite in the 20-horse field was Lookin At Lucky at 6.3/1.
Will a horse that Raced in the 2010 Breeders Cup win the 2011 Kentucky Derby?
- No -200
Yes +160
Only four horses raced in last year’s Breeders’ Cup: Uncle Mo, Stay Thirsty, Master of Hounds and Soldat. Street Sense ended the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Jinx a few years ago, but I’ll take the remaining 16 horses over those four.
There are plenty of other props, including several intriguing match ups, and you can even get down on how long it will take Jordin Sparks to sing the national anthem and who the winning jockey will thank first. [Derby picks and analysis from Michael Dempsey – check it out]
Somewhere there is a horse bettor searching YouTube with a stopwatch for videos of Jordin Sparks singing the Star Spangled Banner. And to think I thought the race was the two most exciting minutes in sports.
Odds to win the 2011 Kentucky Derby: [Play a free Derby contest for cash and prizes]
1. Archarcharch 12/1
2. Brilliant Speed 30/1
3. Twice the Appeal 20/1
4. Stay Thirsty 22/1
5. Decisive Moment 40/1
6. Comma to the Top 35/1
7. Pants on Fire 25/1
8. Dialed In 4/1
9. Derby Kitten 30/1
10. Twinspired 30/1
11. Master of Hounds 18/1
12. Santiva 25/1
13. Mucho Macho Man 12/1
14. Shackleford 12/1
15. Midnight Interlude 10/1
16. Animal Kingdom 30/1
17. Soldat 13/118. Uncle Mo 9/2 (Scratched)
19. Nehro 8/1
20. Watch Me Go 60/1
The 2011 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:24 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 7th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - current Derby odds, contender profiles, field updates and more. You can find all of that and more at our 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby fans: A Beginner’s Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.
