As you look at the 2010 Kentucky odds you may not be aware of the graded earnings of each horse. It was those earnings though that determined whether or not a horse would get into the Kentucky Derby betting field. Let’s take a look at the graded earnings list for this year’s Derby.
2010 Kentucky odds start with the favored Eskendereya but it should be noted that he is only the fifth best in graded earnings. The top horse in graded earnings is Lookin at Lucky with almost a million and a half in earnings. That is well clear of the second place horse on the list, Noble’s Promise at almost three quarters of a million dollars. Rule is next at $645,000 while Sidney’s Candy is next at $630,000. Eskendereya and Line of David are at $600,000. The top ten in graded earnings is rounded out by Mission Impazible, Ice Box, Stately Victor and Endorsement.
The second ten on the graded earnings list starts with Conveyance at #11 followed by American Lion, Dublin, Super Saver, Discreetly Mine, Dean’s Kitten, Interactif, Awesome Act, Paddy O’Prado and Homeboykris. Two horses on the outside of the top 20 are Uh Oh Bango and Jackson Bend so they need a defection to get into the field.
Ice Box trainer Robert La Penta would like to have two horses in the 2010 Kentucky Derby odds but he needs some help. He trains Jackson Bend and that means a couple of horses in the Top 20 need to drop out since the Derby is limited to 20 starters and the field is based on graded earnings. Last year this would not have been an issue but this year’s Derby field has a large amount of graded earnings. Last year the 20th horse in was Nowhere to Hide with just $55,000 in earnings. That horse had no chance to win but that is not the case with Jackson Bend.
If Jackson Bend gets into the field he could be a real threat in Kentucky Derby betting. The horse finished second in the Grade I Wood Memorial, the Grade II Fountain of Youth and the Grade III Holy Bull. “I have mixed emotions about him being on the bubble,” La Penta said, “To finish second in those races and for him to have beaten many quality 3-year-olds, I think he deserves a shot.”