Kentucky Derby 135 Horse Racing Odds

2009 Kentucky Derby 135 @ Churchill Downs -
Kentucky Derby Betting at Churchill Downs May 3rd

Every top three-year-old thoroughbred in North America will be vying for the most prestigious race of them all, the 2009 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 2, 2009.

The Kentucky Derby is also known as "The Run for the Roses," because a lush blanket of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The Kentucky Derby, a one and one-quarter mile (2.012km) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, is the first leg of the Triple Crown Championships. Known as “The Most Exciting Two minutes in Sports” it is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses; colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg), fillies 121 pounds (55 kg).

On the first Saturday in May, every May, the infamous Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, hosts the oldest and most popular consecutively held Thoroughbred horse racing event in the United States and that's when it is time to get in on online Kentucky Derby betting. The first jewel of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby is, one of the most anticipated events in the horse racing and horse race betting world.

Churchill Downs, located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, is a thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year.

Kentucky Derby Horse Betting Tips

First, it is best to restrain your online Kentucky Derby betting to the horses you like with win odds of 5-1 or more, or place odds of 5-1 or less. Furthermore, stick to straight bets as much as possible, and keep to "win" and "show" type bets when betting straight. These two guidelines have mostly to do with ratios of success of specific odds and specific bets. In terms of percentages these 5-1 guidelines for the bets mentioned are optimal.

Before you do your online Kentucky Derby betting, take a few moments to surf the net for the horses' stats.

Anticipating promising bets from such information is known as "form handicapping", a worthwhile procedure which presents you with factual information as to which horses are the most likely to win. The flip side to this, however, is that the best horse is not always the favorite horse in that with so many people betting on the "sure thing" such online Kentucky Derby betting offers less value. Keep your eyes open for the underdogs, or rather the dark horses that have excellent chances but which, for some reason or another, the spot-light ignores.

Finally, do not let the numbers hem you. Part of the charm, and really part of the success in online Kentucky Derby gambling is knowing when to risk it on the horse you love. Oftentimes that feeling in our stomach is strangely connected with the spark of the horse. The only caution to this final tip is to not let betting from the gut become an all the time gig. If you are always betting from the gut that feeling ceases to be special and actually loses you money in the end.

Kentucky Derby Future Wagering allows horse racing fans to wager on contenders for the 135th Kentucky Derby before the race day even begins! 2009 Kentucky Derby Odds >>

Kentucky Derby Traditions

The Mint Julep

The Mint Julep is the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. It's a cocktail made from water, sugar, mint, crushed ice, and whisky or bourbon. Served on a silver glass.

Over 80,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, requiring 8,000 liters of Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 2,200 pounds of freshly harvested mint, and 80 tons of shaved ice.

The Kentucky Derby has been run at two different distances:

1 1/2 miles from 1875 to 1895
1 1/4 miles from 1896 to present
The largest Derby crowd was 163,628, who attended the 100th running in 1974. The second largest was 156,106 in 2000.

The leading Kentucky Derby winning jockeys are:

Eddie Arcaro -- 5 including Triple Crown wins with Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1948
Bill Hartack -- 5
Bill Shoemaker -- 4
Bill Shoemaker also leads all jockeys in Derby mounts, with 26. Arcaro had 21 rides.

The leading Kentucky Derby winning trainers are:

Ben A. Jones -- 6
H.J. Thompson -- 4
James Fitzsimmons -- 3
Max Hirsch -- 3
D. Wayne Lukas -- 3
Calumet Farm is the leading owner with 8 wins, and the leading breeder with 9 wins. Eight of the nine Calumet-bred winners were bred at the same farm near Lexington, the exception being Strike The Gold.

Kentucky Derby Betting Information:

Kentucky Derby Specials: Specials Kentucky Derby Sportsbook Bonuses.
Kentucky Derby Odds: Live Kentucky Derby odds for football betting.

Sports Betting Help: How to get sportsbook help
Sportsbook Rules: The Sports Betting Rules
Sports Betting deposits: View Kentucky Derby Deposit options

Be sure to get your Kentucky Derby bets down early at Gamblers Palace sportsbook, because the Race is here!

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