Triple Crown odds begin with the Kentucky Derby which is run on the first Saturday in May. It is arguably the most popular race of the year and is definitely the one that attracts the most Triple Crown wagering attention.
Triple Crown odds on the Kentucky Derby usually see the favorite go down in flames. Rarely has a Triple Crown wagering favorite won the Kentucky Derby. Most gamblers just can’t see the Kentucky Derby favorite losing in Triple Crown odds but it happens nearly every year. When it comes to Triple Crown in the Kentucky Derby the best horse doesn’t always win. There are so many horses, (usually the full field of 20) that anything can happen in the Derby. This means that the best horse in Triple Crown odds may run into trouble and not win the race.
As you look at the first race in Triple Crown there are some things to remember. The race program has a ton of information that can help you make the best decision for Triple Crown wagering in the Derby. Many times this information still won’t point us to a winner in Triple Crown odds for the Derby so we need to look at the tote board. The Triple Crown on the Derby will show which horses the public gives the best chance to win. Usually you can automatically throw out the favorite since they rarely win in Triple Crown in the Derby. In normal horse races the favorite wins about 35% of the time. That is not the case in Derby Triple Crown.
Many handicappers that look at Triple Crown wagering on the Derby consider dosage index as a factor. This can tell handicappers whether or not a horse can make the distance of 1 1/4 miles. The dosage index looks back at the first four generations of a horse’s pedigree to see how he is likely to handle the distance in Triple Crown. Any horse with a dosage of 4.00 or less is supposed to be able to make the distance of the Derby. Only four horses in Kentucky Derby Triple Crown wagering history have had dosages higher than 4.00 (lower numbers mean better distance potential) but all four of those winners were in the last 17 years as Strike The Gold won in 1991, Real Quiet in 1998, Charismatic in 1999 and Giacomo in 2005.