One of the biggest weekends of horse racing events is finally here, as the U.S. Triple Crown kicks off on Saturday. The Kentucky Derby will be one of the biggest horse racing betting locations this week, with hundreds of millions of dollars set to be wagered on the race at Churchill Downs.
However, there is also thrilling action at the track on Friday in the form of the Kentucky Oaks, while the British Classic season gets underway on Saturday with the G1 2,000 Guineas being held at Newmarket. You can find the weekly horse racing odds and some of our early horse racing predictions here.
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Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby will rank among the biggest events on the sporting calendar this weekend, as Churchill Downs celebrates the 150th edition of the world-renowned race. Horses aged three will compete over 1 ¼ miles at the Louisville track, with the field looking to join legendary stars such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed in winning the Triple Crown race.
Fierceness will rank among the most popular horse racing bets this week, with the three-year-old building on his G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile success to score in the G1 Florida Derby. However, he will be breaking from stall 17, which is yet to produce a Derby winner in 149 years.
The weekly horse racing odds will indicate that Sierra Leone is his leading rival, with the Chad Brown runner coming into the event after landing the G1 Blue Grass on his previous outing. Japanese hopes will be resting on the incredibly progressive Forever Young, who was excellent when landing the G2 UAE Derby. However, Honor Marie could be a very interesting contender after boasting previous winning experience at Churchill Downs, and rallying to second in the G2 Louisiana Derby on his previous outing.
Kentucky Oaks
The exciting horse racing action at Churchill Downs this weekend kicks off on Friday, as fillies will be in action over 1 1/8 miles in the Kentucky Oaks. This race will also be celebrating its 150th anniversary, with the field competing for their share of the $1.25 million purse.
Brad Cox will be confident of landing a third victory in the race this week, with Tarifa currently leading the weekly horse racing odds. The three-year-old has won on all three starts this season, including a battling effort when seeing off Our Pretty Woman in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks in late March. However, she struggled at Churchill Downs last November, which does raise questions.
Just F Y I is already proven at the highest level after landing the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last term, and there was enough to like about her runner-up finish in the G1 Ashland on her return to action. But, Thorpedo Anna could easily be the most progressive runner this weekend after scoring an impressive victory in the G2 Fantasy Stakes on her previous outing by four lengths. Further improvement could be likely this weekend.
2,000 Guineas
It isn’t just the U.S. Classic season getting underway this weekend, as the prestigious G1 2,000 Guineas will also take place at Newmarket in the United Kingdom. The Group One for three-year-old horses will cover a mile, with a talented field of runners set to go to post.
Connections have been bullish about the chances of Rosallion for trainer Richard Hannon, and he could be open to a lot of improvement after winning two from three in stakes company last year. He was very impressive when beating Unquestionable by a length in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in October.
Notable Speech is unlikely to be that far away for the Godolphin team, while Night Raider already has a fitness edge over his rivals after scoring by five lengths on the all-weather at Southwell in March. However, City of Troy is the most exciting three-year-old in the UK and Ireland for Aidan O’Brien, and boasts incredibly reliable form lines. The three-year-old has won three-from-three and has already scored two victories at Newmarket, including a success in the G1 Dewhurst last October.
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