Other than the Super Bowl, no single event in American sports generates as much wagering from the general public as the Kentucky Derby.
Magic and mystique surround the infamous Churchill Downs attracting thousands of new bettors that flock to online race books to bet on their favorite horse.
Most people are not aware but on Derby day, there are other horse races going on through out the day until the main event starts at 6pm. These are all opportunities to earn some extra cash!
Certain strategies are kept super secret, especially by my grandfather who lives at the track everyday. He says "I'm going to work" and not a word is heard from him until he has lost all of his money and comes home or if he wins big he takes out his "cell phone thingy" to make the call everyone loves to make: "I just won a TON of money!!"
The strategy I like the best is plain on picking the names of the horses I like. I advise you NOT to take this strategy as I have never won a thing......dammit.
But just like any other sport, there are NUMEROUS sites to place your bet at if your not lucky enough to attend the race itself. But before you start throwing your money down on some random horses, you might want to know the betting terms because you know...that always helps.
Hit the jump to see the common ways of how to bet on a horse race and what each term means....
The Kentucky Derby is a staple that has been around for 138 years. With those many years comes many traditions that still used to this day.
Another name for the Kentucky derby is the Run for the Roses. Its called the Run For the Roses because of the bed of roses that is laid over-top the winning horse.
Quick Facts on the Kentucky Derby:
- Oldest continually held sporting event in the country, second only to the Westminster dog show
- There are 5 women jockeys who have ridden in the Kentucky derby. most recent was in 2003. Only 3 female horses (Philly's) have ever won the derby.
- Horses have a 3rd eyelid that acts like a windshield wiper to block dirt and debris coming into their eyes while they run.
- Horses have to be 3 years old in order to compete in any of the triple crown events.
- 7000 tulips are planted for the derby every year. Its not the official flower but the flower that blooms beautifully at the time of the race. During the Preakness, the official flower is the Black Eyed Susan but those flowers only bloom in the fall. So what do they do? They take daisy's and paint the middle of the flowers black.
- The actual derby race is one mile and a quarter. (a little over 2 minutes)
- The three main sporting events that have more female than male viewers are the Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics and Kentucky Derby.
- Its the only event where women viewers actually outrank the men even though the viewership increases every year
Hit the title/read more to see more on the Derby and watch a video on the history of the event that has captured America's hearts for so long.....
no commentsWhat a great time of year! Baseball is young, the hockey and basketball playoffs are underway, and the NFL just concluded a remarkable draft weekend, that featured a lot of trading action. This is probably due to the new salary rules, that have draft picks “slotted” like the NBA does, so teams were more aggressive moving up to get the player they wanted without worrying about a lengthy salary fight and paying a ridiculous amount of money to a guy who might not be all that great. The result was an action packed round 1.
I’d be remiss, moreover, if I didn’t mention the Jacksonville Jaguars, who made a GREAT move to go up to #5 to get Justin Blackmon, a PERFECT fit for their team. Our founder and rabid Jaguars fan (I mean, she’s a rabid fan of the Jaguars, not a fan of rabid jaguars) Blythe must be THRILLED. Read on to check out draft grades for every NFL team.
Hit the title/read more to continue reading. . .
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