Kentucky Derby Results
The sport of kings and noble men; that is how horse racing was viewed as in times past. Not too much has changed, you might say. And you may be partially right by saying so. The thing is though that horse racing now appeals to a much wider audience than it did in the days of yore. Among the things that have not changed is the cost of owning and maintaining a horse but of the two, maintenance is definitely the key cost. A horse and especially a race horse must be maintained at a certain minimum standard for one to be able to bring out the best in it. Though used to typify the ultimate in strength, horse can also be sensitive to injury and many are the horse owners that have put down a race horse because of injury instead of watching it live a life of misery and experience a slow and painful death.
Types of horse racing
Horse racing as we know it today comes in two main forms: thoroughbred racing and harness racing. In thoroughbred racing (and as the name suggests), the horses that take part are of a special breed known as thoroughbreds. These types of horses are built for speed and have an athletic body with long legs that make them able to take longer strides and move faster than the typical horse. Thoroughbreds have their history in England when Arabian horses were crossbred with local horses in order to come up with a horse that can be used for competitive racing. Today, thoroughbreds represent the most expensive horses there is to the extent that ownership of a horse can sometimes be broken up into ‘shares’. Thus someone can buy 10% ownership of a thoroughbred and get a dividend from the winnings and other income associated with the horse.Kentucky Derby Results
Special Offer:
Get up to $500 in Bonus Bet* from Ladbrokes
The second type of horse racing is harness racing. In this type of race, each horse pulls a cart-like contraption known as a sulky. The rider then uses harnesses (hence the name) to guide the horse towards the finish. The horses used for these types of races are not as athletic as thoroughbreds since they require to pull the sulky around the track. Harness race horses tend to be bulkier so as to be able to attain a good speed while pulling the sulky. Though harness racing is popular, thoroughbred races tend to attract large crowds. Among the largest thoroughbred races in the world today is the Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky derby is arguably the largest and most popular thoroughbred race in North America. Having begun towards the end of the nineteenth century, it attracts a loyal and an ever-increasing fan base over time. So far, the Kentucky Derby has been held more than 130 times. The race itself involves three-year old thoroughbred horses and marks the climax of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival that takes place at the beginning of May each year. So popular has the event been that it is often christened the ‘the most exciting two minutes of sports’ based on the approximate time it takes for the horses to go through the track. Looking at the payout, it may be easy to understand why there is so much focus on this one event and why horses and jockeys will sometimes spend months preparing, if for none other, this one event. In 2009, the Kentucky derby paid out more USD 2 million as prize money.
Kentucky Derby Results
As a punter, one of the things you must be able to access is results. If betting on a horse participating in the Kentucky derby, this will be no exception. The good thing is this information is available in very many places: online, at the Kentucky derby race track and in the mainstream media including your favorite sports channel. In line with this and due to its huge popularity, bookmakers have made certain that one can place a bet on the Kentucky Derby from virtually anywhere in the world. Even when in Australia, all you need to do is log into an online betting portal and you will be able to view the Kentucky derby results.
In addition to all of the Kentucky Derby results, you’ll find a whole list of odds available on plenty of racing events going on throughout Australia and the world. As these sites offer the most generous odds and a convenience that has never been seen in betting before, they truly are the future of horse betting. From the Kentucky Derby to the Melbourne Cup 2013, online betting sites will always be the place to go for all of your horse racing needs.
Selecting the winning horse
Unlike gambling where luck plays a major role in determining who wins and who loses in a wager, sports betting is a little different in that it takes more than just luck to pick a winner. There is a science to it and my experience punters have proven that a calculated and deliberate approach often-time increases your odds of landing on a winner.
Among the things you cannot afford to ignore is the history of each horse. The participating horses in the Kentucky derby are three-year old thoroughbreds and at this age the horse must have taken part in a number of events that you can use to gauge its potential at the ultimate race. You can also talk to staff at your bookmaker to gauge their opinion. At this point, it is important that you take caution when doing this. Favorites do not always win events and the Kentucky derby has had its fair share of formbook and bookmaker upsets. A case in point is the 135th Kentucky Derby where the winning horse, Mine That Bird, was not the clear favorite among bookmakers that day.
You can opt to do the betting online or take a trip to Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky, the famous venue of this event. At the venue, you can enjoy some of the items traditionally associated with this event. Among this is the Mint Julep drink. This is a fairly thick syrup consisting of a mix of sugar, menthol and whiskey (usually Bourbon but some have been know to experiment with other forms though not to the same effect). You could have this accompany the burgoo, a famous Kentucky meal consisting of beef, greens pork and the thing that made Kentucky’s Fried Chicken world famous, chicken. This will serve as a memorable experience even as you keep a close watch on the choice horse you are banking on to win.
In other racing news, the 2013 Queensland Oaks is scheduled for the 2nd of June and it has become a very popular Brisbane Racing Winter Carnival race. Currently open to 3-year-old fillies, it flaunts a prize money pool totaling $400,000 over a distance of 2,400 metres. Eagle Farm Racecourse plays host to the Queensland Oaks 2013 and is open to not only local punters, but bettors all around the country. Starting in 1951, the race is run towards late May and early June each year.