Justify, Mendelssohn And Magnum Moon Top The Betting Boards
Horseplayers are probably some of the best in the betting business when it comes to getting up to speed as quickly as possible about which ponies are the front runners going into a big event.
And in the world of horse racing, there is no bigger even than the legendary Kentucky Derby, which has not missed a start since way back in 1875, and in the world of horse racing today there are no bigger names than Justify, Mendelssohn and Magnum Moon. Those three 3-year-old colts are the top of the betting boards heading into the 2018 running of the Kentucky Derby, set for May 5 at the historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, and their odds are gaining lengths on the competition by the day.
Even though horse racing bettors are far and away some of the best informed sports gamblers out there, it is easy to see how even the savviest player of the ponies could make use of a bit of a crash course on the best betting options. After all, each of the top horses going into the “Run for the Roses” has at most six or seven races under their belt prior to Derby Week, which is not really all that much to go by in terms of handicapping the biggest race of the year. But that’s where KentuckyDerbyPreview.com comes in: check out our quick breakdown of the three best looking horses set to make an appearance at the starting gate come post time on Derby Day.
| Race Day: |
| May 5, 2018 |
| Post Time: |
| 6:46pm EST |
| Horse Track: |
| Churchill Downs |
| Track Location: |
| Louisville, Kentucky |
| Track Length: |
| 1.25 Miles |
2018 Kentucky Derby Profile
- Sex and Color: Chestnut Colt
- Foaled: March 28, 2015 (Kentucky)
- Sire: Scat Daddy
- Dam: Stage Magic
- Owner: China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm
- Trainer: Bob Baffert
- Breeder: John D. Gunther
- Jockey: Mike E. Smith
- Earnings: $600,000
- Record (Starts-Firsts-Seconds-Thirds): 3-3-0-0
- Kentucky Derby Leaderboard: 8
- Current Betting Odds: +300 at Bovada.lv
Justify just simply leaped into the forefront of the international conversation surrounding which horse in the field would be crowned with the winner’s rosy wreath at the conclusion of this year’s Kentucky Derby. It’s pretty much a no-brainer as to why this young gun is on the tip of horseplayers’ tongues and at the top of our list: Justify, the colt of premier sire Scat Daddy and prize winning dam Stage Magic has everything going for him. He has all the raw materials in terms of pace and outright speed needed to be a champ (courtesy of those famous parents), he is unbeaten in his three starts against tough fields of competitors and his training staff comes from the equally stacked camp of Bob Baffert – who coached five previous Kentucky Derby winners including the 2015 Triple Crown winning American Pharoah.
Basically the only knock against Justify is some silly superstition from more than a hundred years ago. The so called “Apollo Curse” goes back to 1882, which was the last time a 2-year-old colt won the Kentucky Derby. Well, with that being said, maybe Justify’s critics do have a legitimate point concerning a possible disadvantage for the Bovada.lv betting board leader (he does have insanely short +300 moneyline odds to win it all come May 5) – that being his age. Every other horse in the field, or at least the front running ponies, have a full 3 years on them, whereas Justify is going to be almost a full month shy of his third birthday. Still, if there was a 2-year-old horse at the Kentucky Derby who could flip the script on the 136-year-old “curse,” then it would have to be Justify, who more than justifies his low odds going into “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”
2018 Kentucky Derby Profile
- Sex and Color: Bay Colt
- Foaled: March 17, 2015 (Kentucky)
- Sire: Scat Daddy
- Dam: Leslie’s Lady
- Owner: Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, John Magnier
- Trainer: Aidan P. O’Brien
- Breeder: John D. Gunther
- Jockey: Ryan L. Moore
- Earnings: $1,200,000
- Record (Starts-Firsts-Seconds-Thirds): 7-4-1-0
- Kentucky Derby Leaderboard: 7
- Current Betting Odds: +400 at Bovada.lv
Nothing like a good old fashioned sibling rivalry to transform a sporting event – even one as historically significant as the 144th running of the legendary Kentucky Derby – into a proper drama. It could be said that this injection of extra pop and crackle is Mendelssohn’s biggest contribution to the discussion about which of the front runners in the field at the 2018 Kentucky Derby, as this Kentucky boy is the big brother (by way of sire Scat Daddy) to Bovada.lv betting board leader Justify and the former’s closest rival. It COULD be said, but Mendelssohn brings a lot of verve of his own to the running for this year’s “Run for the Roses,” as he turned in what has got to be one of the more stunning examples of a qualifying race we have seen in recent years just to make the cut for the Kentucky Derby this year.
Mendelssohn put the proof his parentage’s prowess for power on the straightaway when he tacked on a massive win at the United Arab Emirates Derby almost a month ago back on March 31st when he claimed the laurels by an astounding 18 horse lengths over his next nearest competitor. That gargantuan win was the third straight win of his career of seven total starts and his fourth W overall, though he has also got one runner up finish to his credit as well. Mendelssohn’s owners – Derrick Smith, John Magnier and Michael Tabor – are plenty experienced in their own right, putting their colt Lion Heart in second place overall at the 2004 running of the Kentucky Derby. Combine Mendelssohn’s good breeding with his own demonstrated abilities and the know how from his owners and coach Aiden O’Brien (who coached a few Kentucky Derby stalwarts in his day) and it is obvious why this horse boasts +400 moneyline odds to win the biggest race in horse racing today.
2018 Kentucky Derby Profile
- Sex and Color: Bay Colt
- Foaled: May 09, 2015 (Kentucky)
- Sire: Malibu Moon
- Dam: Dazzling Song
- Owner: Robert E. Low, Lawana L. Low
- Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher
- Breeder: Ramona S. Bass, LLC
- Jockey: Luis Saez
- Earnings: $900,000
- Record (Starts-Firsts-Seconds-Thirds): 4-4-0-0
- Kentucky Derby Leaderboard: 1
- Current Betting Odds: +800 at Bovada.lv
Magnum Moon, son of the equally fabulously named parents Malibu Moon and Dazzling Song, is a bit of an anomaly from our perspective in that he is at the top of the official Kentucky Derby leaderboard but in fourth place on the betting board at Bovada.lv. The leading online offshore racebook’s bookies have assigned him moneyline odds of +800 to win the race, which is still pretty fantastic in terms of odds, but that seems simultaneously a little low considering he is unbeaten in four career starts and a little high seeing he doesn’t have any super big finishes to his credit just yet. However, Magnum Moon is undisputedly a solid pick after a convincing if somewhat close win in the Arkansas Derby just a little over a week ago on April 14.
The reason for Magnum Moon’s good showing on the boards and in the hearts and minds of bettors around the world is which horse he’s beaten. Magnum Moon has proven that he has what it takes to take out Justify on more than one occasion, making him something of a spoiler going into this year’s edition of the Kentucky Derby. Magnum has also turned in some really good performances in practice runs at Churchill Downs this week as he prepares to make the starting gate on Derby Day, giving horseplayers and handicappers a lot more data to go by when making their picks compared to some other horses. All that adds up to make Magnum Moon different things for different folks: a dark horse compared to the stacked field for some bettors, and an all around racer – thanks to his proven good turn of speed and plenty of wind in his lungs and backed by a leading camp in trainer Todd Pletcher - for others.
Good Magic, Bolt d’Oro and Audible
The top three horses in the field are never the only ponies bettors should have their eyes on, and this second tier of serious contenders are just as capable as the previously mentioned set of colts to claim the wreath of the champion at the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Of this batch of three, Good Magic – the winner of the 2017 Breeders’ Cup championship for juvenile horses - has the best chances overall, ranking second on the official Churchill Downs leaderboard. That means he has the longest track record in terms of having established his winning ways over horse like betting board leader Justify, who was unraced as a colt but looks to top the field at the “Run for the Roses” this year.
Bolt d’Oro was looking like he would be the best horse in the field – and he may still be the best in real terms – but he shook the confidence of bettors and handicappers after a somewhat disappointing showing in a few recent races when it looks like his typically good lungs more or less gave out on him (to a degree – he still came in second in his last race). Bolt d’Oro does have several key advantages working in his favor though, among them a podium finish in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, good breeding courtesy of his father Medaglia d’Oro and Hall of Fame entry Rachel Alexandra (who won the ’09 Preakness Stakes) and a jockey and trainer duo that trained and raced more than a few Kentucky Derby hopefuls between them.
Audible is coached by the trainer of last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, the coach being the highly respected Todd Pletcher, and the horse (sired by top flight stallion Into Mischief) was a winner by three horse lengths at the Florida Derby among other elite races. Audible is currently sitting on the No. 2 spot on the official Kentucky Derby leaderboards according to Churchill Down’s official site. However, Into Mischief’s parentage may not be enough, as Audible’s daddy has yet to father a winning colt at a race of more than 9 furlongs. The Kentucky Derby, as everyone reading this article is likely to be aware, clocks in at 10 furlongs, so this will be a serious test for Audible, who will have to overcome the field as well as the misfortune of his birth.