The Kentucky Derby is an event that is steeped in tradition. That sounds like a throw away line but when I say steeped in tradition I mean that today will mark the 136th running of the most famous race in America. To think that there is an event that has been held without interruption since the 1870'2 is amazing to me. The build-up, the pageantry, and the history all make for what is often called the most exciting two minutes in sports.
The thing about horse racing is that gambling is inherently designed to favor the house. If you made money ever time you gambled why would someone go into business to lose money?My wife and I won $12 on a horse named Dempsey earlier this week at Foxwood's Casino so now I am a horse racing expert. The fun thing for me is to go down and plan on losing a couple of bucks, pick a horse with whatever logic you prefer to use, and then watch the race with a vested interest. Its supposed to be fun, not rocket science. One thing I can tell you is that long shots are long shots for a reason, by that I mean 30-1 odds sound like a nice little payday but the horse has 30-1 odds because he isn't very likely to win. The rationale I prefer is to look at all the horses that have reasonable odds (say 6, 8, 10-1 somewhere in that neighborhood) and then pick the one with the most compelling name. Using that impeccable logic I will go on record as picking #11 Devil May Care which this website lists as very reasonable 10-1 odds. So if you bet $2 on Devil May Care and the horse wins you would take home $22 (your original 2 plus 10x2=$22).
Think of the whole thing as less of a sporting event and more as a social event or a mini-holiday more akin to the Super Bowl. Assuming you won't make it to Kentucky, ESPN will have a pre-race show starting at 11 am, the lesser races start at 2 pm, and finally at 4pm switch over to NBC for a two and a half hour build-up to the actual race. Of course, you could go about your daily activities and just tune in at 6:28 for the most exciting two minutes in sports. (Photo Credit: statesymbolsusa.org)
