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The Kentucky Derby is only a few months away and is one of the most awaited horse racing events of the year. It’s the first leg of the Triple Crown, making it the opening of the entire tournament, which also makes it one of the most important. This is because for a horse to be crowned the champion of the Triple Crown, it needs to win all three races, and if a horse fails at the Kentucky Derby, it will be over for them.
That said, you can assume that many big names will be competing in the Kentucky Derby, as well as many prestigious jockeys, trainers, and owners alike. As usual, it will be big, and there’s a lot of money to be had. If you want to join in, there are many skills you should learn, including how to pick a horse to bet on. But how exactly do you pick a horse? What factors should you look for? Here are some of them.
Track Record
When preparing for the Ky Derby 2023 betting games, one great way to start your research is to look at the track record. The track record shows the past competition that the horse participated in, its last standings in those races, the jockeys it partnered with, etc.
Of course, a horse that has won at least three of its recent races is a good bet. It’s also fine if it didn’t win as long as it stays in the top three, making the horse a good bet. Just make sure that those races are within their last five races. Any win not in its last five races is already irrelevant information.
Win Factors
After you see the track records and determine the wins, you should next check out the factors of those wins. In other words, the winning conditions of those races. For example, you can look at what kind of track surface those races used or the weather during those races. Why is this important? This is because you need to match that information with the Kentucky Derby.
For example, let’s say that those wins are on a synthetic track surface, and the horse is heavy-footed. The Kentucky Derby uses dirt tracks, which means it will be hard for that specific horse to run since it will burrow its hooves under the dirt. This is especially true if it rained the day before the Kentucky Derby.
Physical Well-Being
Sometimes, you can eyeball the horse’s performance even before the race starts. If you can watch the horses in their paddocks walk to their starting line, you can see the physical status of the horse.
A horse with a shiny sheen, good physical structure, and a wide gap between its legs is a generally good bet. You could also see the balance of the horse. If you see that it doesn’t have a good balance, something might be wrong with its physical structure, or it must have recovered recently from an injury. And because of that, it’s a bad bet.
Emotional Well-Being
Not only should you check the horse’s physical well-being, but you should also check its emotional well-being. Like human athletes, horses also feel nervousness and excitement before the race. Some horses can even be verbal by whinnying and snorting, which might mean that they’re not ready to race yet.
The mannerisms can also be a telltale that if a horse is strutting chaotically or just looking generally irritated, it’s also a sign that it’s not ready to race. On the other hand, some horses can do showmanship struts before the race. Popular horses have done this before, like the Great Zenyatta. Zenyatta usually struts proudly before the race, telling the crowd it will give them a good show. She even poses for pictures after a win.
Repeat Contestant
In the racing form, you can see the TVG Kentucky Derby Picks and how long each horse had rested before its upcoming race. Of course, since horses are living beings, they also feel tired, just like us, and as we all know, being too tired will hinder us from doing our best. On the other hand, being too relaxed before a race can also hinder a horse from doing its best.
So with that in mind, how much rest should a horse have to stay in its peak physical form? The sweet spot here is between 30 to 60 days. Anything more than that will not stimulate the muscles fast enough for the next race, and anything below that will make the horse too tired to race.
Final Words
The Kentucky Derby is fast approaching, and as usual, it will be big. If you’re willing to take it, there’s a lot of money to be had. If you’re looking to win big, you should know which horses to bet on, and you can do that by looking for the factors we discussed above. With all that said, good luck.
Robert Griffith is a content and essay writer. He is collaborating with local magazines and newspapers. Robert is interested in topics such as marketing and history.