If you are not a horse racing aficionado, and you are looking for a fun way to bet on this year’s Kentucky Derby, then try this out.
There are usually 20 horses in the field for this classic horse race. That’s a lot of horses to fit on the track. All sorts of bumping goes on at the start of the race. The speed horses go to the front of the pack. The horses that prefer to charge down the stretch to catch the leaders as they come down to the wire hang back at the beginning of the race. There is a great deal of strategy utilized by each trainer, jockey, and horse.
But then sometimes, it all comes down to luck and which horse loves running on the track at Churchill Downs. Most of the horses are shipped in from other race tracks around the country. You just never know how the favorites will perform, or which of the long shots will shock the world. Since I don’t have time to handicap horses or races, I like to bet on the long shots. If you pick the winner, there is usually a big payout.
Now, I certainly do NOT guarantee that my method will work, or that you will win money. This is gambling. And, if you asked an expert handicapper, they would tell you to NEVER throw your money away on bets like the ones I am about to suggest. But I have hit some big paydays on Kentucky Derby day in the past by betting on long shots, and outside post positions. I’ve also lost a bunch of cash too. This year, I’m gonna bet $2 dollars to win on each long shot, post positions 10 through 20.
I did a little research for this article and found that since the year 2000, 13 Kentucky Derby winners have come from the outside, double-digit, post positions (10-20). They haven’t all been longshots, but it seems that although those outside positions mean the horses have to run a little further than the horses hugging the inside rail, they seem to have less traffic in front of them to navigate around. Last year’s winner, Rich Strike, came from post position #21 to win the Derby and paid $163.60 on a $2.00 dollar win wager!
Whether you choose to bet on the race or not, enjoy the most exciting two minutes in sports when watching the 2023 Kentucky Derby this Saturday, May 6th.
Scroll down to watch videos of some of my favorite long shot winners from those outside posts in past years from NBC Sports and TwinSpires.com.
