Known as The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports, the annual Kentucky Derby is being anticipated with much excitement and thrill. One of the traditional customs of this horse race is betting and knowing the odds in the betting pool is the best advantage in participating in this year's Kentucky Derby.
Before going into a general summary of the field and odds, here are a few facts to remember. This year, the Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, May 6. The post time is at 6:30 p.m. EDT. It will air live on NBC with the coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. and ending at 7:20 p.m. To watch it online, it will stream on NBC Sports Live Extra. A full rundown of the schedule is available at the Kentucky Derby website.
According to Forbes, unlike the previous seasons of the Run for the Roses, there is no extreme favorite. However, one of the most favorable to watch is Always Dreaming, who is currently sharing the top of the betting pool with Classic Empire with odds of 4-1. As reported by Bleacher Report, Mark E. Casse, rider of Classic Empire and one who seeks to earn the title of Triple Crown like 2015's American Pharaoh, will want to trump Always Dreaming with a more favorable post position during the draw.
Regardless, trainers and horses are just as excited as the audience. Thunder Snow, with current odds of 16-1, is said to be in peak form for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, as reported by The Telegraph. Following Always Dreaming and Classic Empire, Irish War Cry follows at third with odds of 13-2, while McCraken looks comfortable in fourth at odds of 7-1.
Another interesting prospect for the 2017 Kentucky Derby is the unexpected and unpredictable Irap with odds of 28-1. Trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Irap is last year's winner of the Kentucky Derby. Even though expectations for him are not as heavy as those on Always Dreaming and Classic Empire, some fans believe that he may be able to make a turn around.
The post-position draw was held on Wednesday morning. Lookin at Lucky got post 1 followed by Thunder Snow, Fast and Accurate, Untrapped, Always Dreaming, State of Honor, Girvin, Hence, Irap, Gunnevera, Battle of Midway, Sonnetteer, J Boys Echo, Classic Empire, McCraken, Tapwrit, Irish War cry, Gormley, Practical Joke, and finally, Patch at post 20, as reported by New York Times.
