It’s without question one of the great days of the year
for sports bettors and sports handicappers. The San Antonio Spurs open up the
Western Conference NBA Finals against the New Orleans Hornets, while in the
Eastern Conference, the not-exactly-Eastern
Pistons host the Orlando Magic.
The ‘Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sport’ arrives on
Saturday with the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill
Downs. According to sports
betting expert Joe Duffy, the only Grandmaster sports handicapper in the world, “It’s
the most profitable two minutes in sports.” He says the chalk won’t win today
and he has the win, place and show at GodsTips on OffshoreInsiders.com
Out of the 20-horse field entered in the
Big Brown has been singled out as the favorite at 3/1. Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. and ridden by two-time
winner Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown has gone undefeated
as a three-year-old with three victories which includes an impressive win in
the Florida Derby. However, if Big Brown does win he’ll have to go against
history to do it. Big Brown was unlucky in the post draw and drew the outside
No. 20 post. In the
history, only one horse has won out of the No. 20 post in 15 attempts. That
lone winner was Clyde Van Dusen way back in 1929.
Big Brown’s bad luck in the post draw could provide an opening for Colonel
John or Pyro to pull off an upset. Colonel John
follows Big Brown on the odds list at 4/1. Colonel John won the Santa Anita
Derby early last month, but the
will be the first race he has ever run on a dirt track. All of Colonel John’s
previous races were run on synthetic tracks, which could put him at a
disadvantage in poor conditions. Pyro was considered
to be a perennial favorite after winning his first two races of the season, but
a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
has lowered his stock a little. Even with the questions after his Blue Grass
finish, Pyro is still listed at 6/1 in the
There are a number of other interesting stories scattered throughout the
rest of the field of 20, including Eight Belles. Listed at 20/1, Eight Belles
is the first filly entered in the
since 1999 when Excellent Meeting finished fifth and Three Rings was 19th.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who trained 2003
champion Funny Cide, pins his hopes for a return to
the winner’s circle on Tale of Ekati. The 15/1
underdog won the Wood Memorial earlier this season to make him an interesting
dark horse on Saturday. Tagg also has Big Truck in
the
written off after receiving the worst odds in the field at 50/1.
Trainer Todd Pletcher failed to snap his long
drought last year and he’ll try again with a pair of horses this year. At
0-for-19 in the
be Monba, who won the Blue Grass Stakes earlier this
year and enters the
Two other horses listed at 20/1 which are noteworthy include Visionaire and Denis of Cork. Visionaire
is this year’s entry for trainer Michael Matz, who
trained 2006 winner Barbaro. Oddly enough, Visionaire drew the eighth post, the same position Barbaro started from the year he won. Denis of Cork will be
ridden by Calvin Borel, who rode Street Sense to
victory in last year’s
last jockey to win the
back-to-back years was Ed Delahoussaye on Gato Del Sol in 1982 and on Sunny’s
Halo in 1983.
Odds to win
(updated live)
Big Brown 3/1
Colonel John 4/1
Pyro 6/1
Gayego 15/1
Monba 15/1
Tale of Ekati 15/1
Z Fortune 15/1
Bob Black Jack 20/1
Cool Coal Man 20/1
Court Vision 20/1
Cowboy Cal 20/1
Denis of Cork 20/1
Eight Belles 20/1
Recapturetheglory 20/1
Smooth Air 20/1
Visionaire 20/1
Adriano 30/1
Anak Nakal 30/1
Z Humor 30/1
Big Truck 50/1
Other key betting odds see that for the first time the American Idol Las
Vegas odds say that David Archuleta is more likely to not win American Idol
by -130 then to win at -110. Also thanks
to the racist, anti-American rants of his pastor Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama is
no longer considered a lock for the Democratic nomination for the President of
the
betting line.
Hillary Clinton is within striking distance at 5/2.
However, Obama is still in a dead heat with John McCain in the POTUS odds at 8/7.