Track News

The Kentucky Derby has been the first leg of the Triple Crown since 1923, yet has been around since 1915. Betting enthusiasts have been making money on the fastest two minutes in sports, for the last 179 years, since it was first opened in 1831. However, horse racing fans did not officially begin betting until 1875 when three year old Aristides was being ridden by jockey Oliver Lewis, claimed victory. Since then the race has been run 135 times with only 11 horses going on to win the Triple Crown.

Becoming ever popular as the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby is ridden at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky. Further it caps off a two week celebration at the beginning of May annually. As well, as a result of being the first leg of the Triple Crown, and seeing as how winning the Triple Crown in itself is an anomaly, the Kentucky Derby has always received the highest attendance of the three stage race.

This year's race was won by Super Saver, who was ridden by jockey Calvin Borel. Although Borel and Super Saver were unable to win the Triple Crown, Borel was able to win the Kentucky Derby for the third time in the past four years. This is a rarity as Borel and Big Brown jockey, Kent Desormeaux are the only two jockey's in the history of the Kentucky Derby to win the race three times.

Over the 135 year span of officially being able to place bets on the Derby, many horses have set record times in winning the race. In 1941, Whirlaway won the Derby in 2:01:40 which not only was a record for the time, but also was the horse's first victory in its eventual Triple Crown prize.

With just three weeks to go until the final leg of the horse racing 2010 Triple Crown carries out with the Belmont Stakes, several horses took to the track at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for practice runs in anticipation of the 142^nd annual running this past weekend. First Dude and Uptowncharlybrown were two of the first horses to take to the track on Saturday, with Stay Put, Drosselmeyer, and Fly Down taking to the track on Sunday.

First Dude looked solid in its first sports betting practice run, going five furlongs in 1:01.32 while working on the main track under exercise rider Tammy Fox. First Dude's trainer, Dale Romans, told reporters after the run that he would stick with the normal training regimen that he uses for all of his races, including the Preakness Stakes, in which his colt finished second to Lookin At Lucky a couple of weeks ago. First Dude has run well in all five of his recent appearances, and will look to continue to make the transition to the Belmont Park surface.

Uptowncharlybrown was almost just as good Saturday, finishing a run that was the same length in a time of 1:01.34, just 0.02 seconds later than First Dude's practice time. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin's horse has won two of the five races it has run in, and finished second in an additional two. Both First Dude and Uptowncharlybrown will likely run in longer length practice sessions over the next couple of weeks.

Going into the Preakness many expected Kentucky Derby winner and two to one odds on favorite Super Saver to claim the second leg of the three race tournament. However fellow two to one favorite and Derby bust Lookin at Lucky was able to win the Preakness at Pimlico this past weekend. As a result of Lookin at Lucky's victory, horse betting fans were disappointed for a 32^nd consecutive year as the possibility for a Triple Crown winner was foiled again. Belmont the third leg of the Triple Crown, for the 32^nd year in a row has become just another race instead of the 'can they win the triple crown at Belmont' race.

However this year, although no horse will become a Triple Crown winner, Belmont stakes betting is still significant for fans as they get to see Calvin Borel and Super Saver possibly recover against Lookin at Lucky and rookie jockey Martin Garcia to take the rubber match of their three race series. With both horses at two to one odds in the Preakness, expectations were still higher on Super Saver, as jockey Calvin Borel, after winning the Kentucky Derby, made the prediction that Super Saver would be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed did it in 1978. Borel the world's best jockey hoped to follow idol and Affirmed jockey Steve Cauthen in accomplishing the feat. Last year Borel won both the Derby and Preakness before losing at Belmont, although he won each race on two separate horses. Belmont will be a big race for Borel personally, as he has never won, and hopes to rebuild his reputation after a disappointing sixth place finish at Pimlico this past weekend.

While Preakness betting is still more than a week away, it's time to take a look back at the 136^th running of the Kentucky Derby, and we may have a favorite for the Triple Crown.

Early favorite Eskendereya was held out of the race by trainer Todd Pletcher, who was going for his first win in his 25^th Kentucky Derby. But he had another ace in the hole: Super Saver, ridden by Calvin Borel, who had won two of the last three Derbies using his rail strategy. Super Saver surged up the list of favorites when it was announced that Borel would be his jockey, and the rail strategy paid off on the muddy surface at Churchill Downs, which was pelted with rain that morning. Super Saver raced to the inside from the fourth post position, and after entering the final turn in fourth place, he charged to the front to hold off Ice Box, who made an impressive surge on the outside.

A year after leading Mine That Bird to one of the biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history, Borel took Super Saver to the win in the "Run For The Roses", giving Pletcher his first win in the Derby. The listed attendance of 155, 704 was the sixth-highest in Derby histoy, and there were $30 million in bets laid in the main pool. Borel and Super Saver now go on to the Preakness, and Borel proclaimed that they would win the Triple Crown this year. After just missing last year, you'd have to check out Borel and Super Saver's odds if you're betting on sports next weekend.