With the big race drawing closer and closer, the latest Kentucky Derby betting news is shifting from who might qualify for the field to who’s clinched their spots.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which ponies will be in the mix for the annual Run for the Roses.
Constitution and Vicar’s In Trouble Clinch
Constitution booked his place in the Kentucky Derby field with a stellar showing at the Florida Derby, capturing 100 points which will be more than enough to see him run at Churchill Downs later this season.
Constitution got the points on the strength of a scintillating rail run to catch and beat Wildcat Red, running the one-eighth mile track in a sizzling 1:49.16. The win returned $8.60 as Constitution bested the eight-colt field – a field that included early Derby favorite Cairo Prince, who was a massive disappointment on the day and finished in fourth place (still managing to muster 10 Derby points, however.)
Vicar’s In Trouble also booked his spot at Churchill by capturing the Louisiana Derby, and he did it in style. The Vicar (we’ll use that shorthand name moving forward) also returned $8.60 for the win, knocking off the favored Intense Holiday in the process. The race was actually noteworthy for two reasons – one, The Vicar’s surprise victory and two, the fact In Trouble was disqualified from his fourth place finish (losing 10 crucial points in the process) after it was judged he came out and bumped Albano twice during the race. With that decision, Albano jumped up to finish fourth and secured the 10 points.
Keep an Eye on Toast of New York
There’s a colt running overseas that could be a dark horse come Derby time.
Toast of New York, ridden by Jamie Spencer and saddled by Jamie Osborne, cleaned up at the prestigious UAE Derby in Dubai recently, and earned 100 points in the process. Thing is, nobody’s sure if Toast of New York will make the trip across the Atlantic to run in the Derby – he’s never run on dirt before – and it’s unclear if Osborne will take the risk given there’s so little time between now and the Derby. He recently said it’s “not impossible” for Toast of New York to take the challenge on, but added he hadn’t really given it too much consideration.
And then There’s Ring Weekend
Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Daniel Centeno, Ring Weekend is an interesting case study as the Derby draws near. Motion knows a thing or two about winning at Churchill – he had Animal Kingdom in 2011 – and Ring Weekend impressed many by crushing the field at the Tampa Bay Derby. He’s posted a 6-2-1-2 record over 11 races thus far and has 50 Derby points, to go along with 24-1 odds to win it all. The question, it seems, is if Ring Weekend’s faced enough stiff competition to be ready for Churchill. The field at Tampa Bay was pretty weak, and that was his most recent signature victory.
