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For most people around the country, Kentucky Derby Day is all about the “fastest two minutes in sports.”
And while that’s all well and good, there are plenty of terrific races on Saturday’s 14-race card, which gets underway at 11 a.m. ET, with the first stakes race coming 100 minutes later with the Knicks Go at 12:38.
For those wishing to make the most of their Derby Day, we’ll dive into three undercard races in the hopes of turning it into a winning day even before the bugler hits us with “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Race 4, 12:38 p.m. ET
This one sets up quite well for those looking to potentially start their day with a big score. There isn’t a heavyweight in this 14-horse field, which should open the door for a couple of long shots to be there at the pointy end of the race.
The two horses to zero in on are No. 4 Castle Chaos (20-1) and No. 12 Patriot Spirit (8-1).
An outside post position should force Patriot Spirit to go from the beginning, which seems to be when he’s at his best. If he isn’t able to hold on, look for Castle Chaos to come charging down the stretch.
We’ll throw those two long shots in with No. 5 Kupuna (5-1), who projects to go off as a lukewarm favorite.
Box: 4,5,12
Race 6, 1:53 p.m. ET
The Pat Day Mile features a pretty top-heavy field, but there are a couple of interesting prices in this mix.
The race will be headlined by No. 1 Madaket Road (2-1) for Bob Baffert, but there’s plenty of company at the top of the board, including another Baffert entry, No. 6 Gaming (3-1).
We’ll bypass the top two favorites on the morning line and instead land on No. 2 Built (7-2), who should be able to go toe-to-toe with the Baffert runners.
The long shot worth a hard look here is No. 3 California Burrito (12-1), who isn’t getting much love because he hasn’t run over the dirt much recently.
There are 14 races scheduled for Kentucky Derby Day. Getty ImagesWe’ll take that as a blessing, as it’ll drive up the price on a horse that posted decent results and speed figures over the dirt at the end of 2024.
Box: 2,3
Race 8, 3:24 p.m. ET
This race will be all about the return of No. 10 Nysos (4-1), who will likely go off as the favorite despite being on the sidelines for over a year.
That’s how impressive this Baffert-trained colt was in his three career starts, which were all wins by a combined margin of 26 ¼ furlongs.
Nysos could just be better than everyone in this field, but he will go off at a short price, and that’s uninteresting after such a long layoff.
Money should pour in on Nysos, which should give bettors a great opportunity to get a discount on a couple of contenders.
I landed on No. 3 Book ‘Em Danno (8-1) and No. 4 Giant Mischief (8-1) to add some juice to the ticket with No. 7 Mindframe (3-1), who should go off as the third-favorite behind Nysos and Mullikin.
Box: 3,4,6
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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