Kentucky Derby Exotic Wagers
Tiz the Law will be awfully tough to beat in this year's Kentucky Derby and even tougher to keep out of the exacta. His biggest threat is second choice Honor A. P., who looks primed to run the race of his life. These two runners are five lengths better than the third best horse.
1 day ago Eight weeks in advance of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the unbeaten Bob Baffert-trained Life Is Good closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. However, there are no shortage of other opportunities to take advantage of the Kentucky Derby odds, with a wide variety of exotic bets and prop bets available on the Fastest two Minutes in Sports. The most popular exotic bets include exacta, quinella, trifecta, superfecta, and boxed wagers.
If Tiz the Law and Honor A. P. pull clear, it will be a mad scramble behind them, with many possibilities for third. History has shown that it only takes one price to spice up the Derby trifectas and superfectas. With a chalky exacta expected, let us take a look, in numerical order, at five horses 20-1 or higher that deserve a closer look for your trifecta and superfecta wagers.
Max Player (#2, 30-1)
Max Player already has run a distant third to Tiz the Law twice before, and the pattern could easily continue here. Though he has been no threat to the Derby favorite, his numbers continue to improve — as do Tiz the Law's. He has the perfect style to pick up the pieces and has been working very well for new trainer Steve Asmussen. I expect another move forward from this horse and feel he is the best horse to use as a key in the third and fourth holes in superfectas.
King Guillermo (#6, 20-1)
King Guillermo drew well and has the perfect tactical style to sit a great trip. His Tampa Bay Derby win was very impressive, and he did not disgrace himself one bit when running second to the undefeated Nadal. I am not a fan of the four-month designed layoff between starts, but he is certainly one of the most talented runners in the field, and 20-1 is way too big of a price.
Money Moves (#7, 30-1)
It is almost impossible for a Kentucky Derby runner to face older horses in a prep race prior to May, but with this year's Derby in September, an interesting angle has presented itself. Money Moves, Todd Pletcher's only starter in here, ran very well to be second in a tough allowance race against older foes off a layoff that should prepare him well for this spot. His numbers are steadily rising, and this expensive purchase should enjoy the distance. He has more upside than most in this race.
Necker Island (#11, 50-1)
This is purely an equipment change play. Necker Island likes Churchill Downs and has run a few decent races on the Derby Trail, but nothing to make him a threat. He will remove blinkers for this race, however, and he has been working better than almost anyone in this field since taking off the shades. An equipment change can sometimes move a horse up by many lengths, and it is worth taking a shot on his expected improvement at 50-1.
Kentucky Derby Exotic Wagering
Ny Traffic (#15, 20-1)
It is hard to watch the Haskell and not think Ny Traffic would have gone by Authentic going 1 1/4 miles. While Authentic is 8-1 in the Derby, Ny Traffic offers tremendous value at 20-1. He has a nice tactical style to sit a good trip and continues to improve significantly every time he runs in the Saffie Joseph barn. He might be the most likely horse of this bunch to run third.
