Picking a Kentucky Derby Winner May Not Be As Hard As You Think

Courtesy Horseracegame.com

Picking a Kentucky Derby winner may seem especially challenging because there are more horses entered than there are in a typical race, but actually, picking the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby is not as hard as you may think. There are strong Kentucky Derby trends to utilize, and Dosage Index in something to consider between now and post time this Saturday.

The Kentucky Derby is a unique race that is run at a mile and a quarter early in a horse’s three-year-old campaign, so breeding is especially crucial. A horse’s Dosage Index is the result of a numerical formula that measures a horse’s pedigree based on a combination of speed and stamina. Before Strike the Gold captured the Run for the Roses in 1991, no horse with a dosage index above 4.0 had ever won the Kentucky Derby. (In fact, after Alydar was reclassified as a Chef-de-Race a few years later, Strike the Gold actually had a DI of 2.6). Since then, only Real Quiet (5.29), Charismatic (5.22), and 50-1 outsider Giacomo (4.33) had a DI over 4.0. Since 1940, the average Dosage Index of all Kentucky Derby winners has been 2.21, and between 2000 and 2008, the average DI of Kentucky Derby winners has been 2.59. Clearly, if you throw out horses with a DI over 4.0 you will rarely be making the wrong decision. Here are a couple of tips: Pioneer of the Nile has a DI of 3.89; I Want Revenge has a Dosage Index of 3.0. Check The Daily Racing Form and take note of the DI for the rest of the field.

If you want to pick the winner of the Kentucky Derby you need to examine the breeding, and with our online horse racing games, you can handicap for breeding year around from the comfort of your computer chair. Become aware of the Dosage Index of the entrants before making your Kentucky Derby bet, and after the race has been run, keep the fun rolling with our multi-player sports games that bring the racetrack to you with a realistic authenticity that is truly stunning.