in Triple Crown Betting Trends

Derby in sight

Unfortunately for the racing fans of today, the trail to the Kentucky Derby has become more like a family reunion then a test of the best.

Over the last decade or so, corporate sponsors have made it possible for the real Derby hopefuls to spread out all over the country and compete against weak foes and still collect big bucks. This is great for the owners and trainers of the horses involved, but it deprives the fans of the competition of the past. Corporate dollars are now available at tracks that never before were a factor in the road to Kentucky.

It is now March and we have not yet seen the best of the 3-year-olds go head-to-head.

On Saturday, we saw more of the same. In the Fountain of Youth ($300,000) at Gulfstream Park, First Samurai won on a disqualification, after finishing second. He was moved up and the horse that crossed the finish line first, Corinthian, was DQ’ed. The horse that finished third, Flashy Bull was also bothered and lost his chance to win, he was moved up to second.

First Samurai paid a whopping $3.40 to win; this is why fans like me have little betting interest in these races that are hand picked for the horses in contention for the Derby.

On the left coast at Santa Anita, the Santa Catalina Stakes ($200,000), another top Derby horse ran against a group of “nobodies”. Brother Derek won easily against a group of at best allowance horses and paid $3.00.

Not much meat for us horse players to chew on in the big races of Saturday, and that’s sad. This is the time of year to get the bettors out, but the owners of these horses are of course more interested in pocketing some easy cash against weak competition.

So now we move on looking for some meat. Next Saturday, March 11th, we have the California Derby at Golden Gate (Oakland, Ca.), followed by the Gotham Stakes at the Big A on March 18th and the Rebel Stakes also on the 18th at Oaklawn Park.

The Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs and the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita will also be run on the 18th.

The Cal Derby and the Rebel should give us a sleeper or two as the fields there should be wide open.

I now have my eye on a “sleeper” in the mix. A horse that has been running under the radar in Maryland by the name of Sweetnorthernsaint. watch out for this gelding. Yes he is a gelding, but since trainer Michael Trombetta put the blinkers on him, his rivals have seen nothing but his tail waving in the breeze.

True he has not beaten any class horses, he has been dominant and his figures are awesome.

CHATTER: Pennsylvania tracks are due to lift the ban on shippers from other tracks, on Tuesday, March 7th. The herpes virus has not been found in any other animals since the ban was imposed in January. According to the “experts” in the media I read, here are there top five rated Derby horses…

1. Brother Derek 2. Bluegrass Cat 3. First Samurai 4. Barbaro 5. Achilles of Troy

I would throw in Private Vow and Sweetnorthernsaint.

For those of you following the Jocks Association scandal, the jockeys had a meeting in California last month and will try to get all tracks to provide them with workers comp.

The former head of the association pocketed the jocks insurance money, and most were left without coverage when they thought they were protected.

A criminal investigation is currently going on.

For picks or to contact Pete, email jrclemente@hotmail.com. Pete Cataldo can be heard every Wednesday at 3pm EST on BetUSradio.com.