Often times, horse racing lends itself to some big surprises, but that wasn’t the case at the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby. Nyquist, who had been favoured to win the 2016 Run for the Roses throughout most of the season, took care of business. Second pre-race favourite, Exaggerator, finished 1 ¼ lengths behind the winner.
Nyquist entered the race having won all seven of his previous starts, many of which came in impressive fashion. Four of those seven wins came in prestigious grade 1 races, which includes the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He is now the second Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ to go on and win the Kentucky Derby, but it wasn't easy.
Danzing Candy, a frontrunner, flew from gate No. 20 to the front of the pack, setting a fast pace early on in the Derby and eventually running out of steam on the far turn. Exaggerator has shown a variety of running styles and opted for an off-the-pace style well-suited for the Derby. He blasted forward in the stretch, but came up short by 1 ¼ lengths.
Favourites have now cashed in for four straight Kentucky Derbies, with California-based horses taking four of the last five Derby victories. We’ll take that into account for 2017, but for now, the focus shifts to the Preakness.
Nyquist is already posted as a 5/7 favourite for the Preakness on May 21st. We expect to see Exaggerator on the field, but he’s lost to Nyquist four times now. The field hasn't been set yet, but we’re expecting to see Laoban and Cherry Wine, both of whom were entered into the Run for the Roses, but didn’t make the cut. The Lexington Stakes winner, Collected, a Bob Baffert trainee, should be in the mix as well. Lastly, Federico Tesio Stakes champ Awesome Speed, and California Chrome Stakes winner Uncle Lino are expected to join the field of contenders for what should be a captivating race.
Talk of the Triple Crown has come into play following Nyquist's victory at the Kentucky Derby because the undefeated colt looks like a very serious contender for it. You can already bet on him to win the Belmont Stakes at 6/5, and win the entire Triple Crown at 2/1. Both are simple Yes/No prop bets as we go to press. The last time we saw back-to-back Triple Crown winners was in 1977-1978 with Seattle Slew and Affirmed. Could it happen again this year?
*Odds as of May 10, 2016