Free Tools for Kentucky Derby Bets
Kentucky Derby > Free Tools
Free Tools for Kentucky Derby Betting
It’s hard to find a single person who doesn’t have some familiarity with the Kentucky Derby. The “Run for the Roses” is one of the most recognizable races in the world and has been featured in song, film and prose since its inception in 1875. However, despite its long history, the race itself can prove downright confounding in terms of betting. While the field size has changed throughout time, present day runnings see the maximum field of 20 horses entered and, usually, lining up on the first Saturday in May. "Is the favorite really the best choice?" That leaves fans with a lot of choices on who to back at the windows. Is the favorite really the best choice? What about long shots? How about mid-level priced runners? Or is the best policy to pick a name and run with it? While all those may be sound (and not so sound) strategies, there are other options for Derby fans. Unfortunately, a lot of those will take money out of the wallet that can be used to actually bet a runner. With that in mind, here are some tools that won’t cost Derby devotees a single penny.
Triple Crown Nominations
Perhaps one of the most essential components to betting on the Kentucky Derby is knowing who is running. Horses competing for the Derby trophy have to be nominated well in advance of the race and are actually nominated to all three legs of the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes). The early nomination period, which features a substantially lower fee, closes in January. Late nominees may join in March at a higher rate. The Triple Crown nominations list every single colt, gelding and filly whose owners pay the fee, and regularly runs into the hundreds. By itself the list is not worth much, but BRISnet takes that list and adds in the horses’ running records, resulting in a very valuable, and FREE, resource that fans can then use to see a Derby hopeful’s prior accomplishments, or lack thereof.
BRIS Speed Rating reports
One of the items listed in the Triple Crown nominee past performances is a BRIS Speed Rating number each horse earned in each race. Basically, the higher the Speed Rating, the better the horse’s performance in that particular event. There are a number of BRIS Speed rating reports available on BRISnet.com, including a weekly list of the top Speed Stakes Ratings which features a category restricted to three-year-olds. There are also BRIS Speed by circuit reports focusing on different states and, in the case of California, the southern and northern halves of the state.
Graded and Listed Results
With the advent of the Kentucky Derby points system, hopefuls now have to run in specific events and accumulate points to make the starting gate on the first Saturday in the May. A good place to check out the results of those races is the daily results files, which include graded, listed and allowance contests that take place in North America on any given day.
Kentucky Derby Report
Another valuable, and completely free, resource is James Scully’s Kentucky Derby Report. Scully analyzes the past week’s points races and then ranks the current contenders from 1-20. He also sums up his views with a single line attached to each horse in his top 20. Essentially, fans are getting a professional’s assessment of each horse and each race without having to pay a single dime.
Racing News
Finally we come to news. With points races taking place all over not just the country, but the world, it’s hard to keep track of Derby hopefuls and how they’re faring in terms of training and earning enough points to actually make the race BRIS has fans covered, offering information on training, upcoming races, results, injuries, set-backs and more in its news section.
The TwinSpires Betting Guides Portal
There are often many questions when it comes time strategize and palce bets, such as how to actualy create superfectas, or what do odds truly mean. The betting guides created for the portal are written by experts who handicap and know horse racing. Take a quick look for yourself!
Where to Bet the Kentucky Derby
After using the research and information collected from these betting tools, it is time to translate the information into bets and money! There are several Kentucky Derby betting options available to play and win.