TAB offers betting on prestigious Kentucky Derby

Media Release

1 May 2009

TAB offers betting on prestigious Kentucky Derby

Trackside Television will cross live to the United States this Sunday (3 May) for one of the most prestigious horse races in the world – the 135th Kentucky Derby.

Run over 2000m, the Kentucky Derby attracts the top three-year-olds in pursuit of US$2 million stakes (NZ$3.39m). This is the second year the New Zealand TAB has offered commingled betting on the race and it will screen live on Trackside Television at 10.24am this Sunday (NZ time).

The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the United States Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. The other two legs are the Preakness Stakes on 17 May and the Belmont Stakes on 7 June (NZ time). 

The Kentucky Derby is restricted to 20 starters and the field for this year’s race is wide open, unlike last year when superstar Big Brown towered over the competition. Big Brown won the first two legs of the 2008 Triple Crown before retiring last October due to injury.

This year’s field for the Kentucky Derby will comprise solely of colts and geldings with Pioneerof the Nile, I Want Revenge, Desert Party and Friesan Fire expected to be top contenders.

Friesan Fire will provide some Australasian interest in the race as he is the son of Bollinger (winner of the 2003 Coolmore Classic) and grandson of Golden Slipper winning filly Bint Marscay (1993).

Pioneerof the Nile will be seeking to avenge the loss of his father Empire Maker in the 2003 Kentucky Derby when he started as favourite but finished second.

The brown colt I Want Revenge is likely to be one of the favourites for the race after recording the fastest of 49 workouts over four furlongs (approx 800m) in his last serious workout on Tuesday.

Todd Pletcher, the five times winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in the US, will start three horses in the race – Advice, Dunkirk and Join in the Dance.

Only 11 horses have won all three races of the US Triple Crown with the last being Affirmed in 1978.

Totalisator betting will be available through the New Zealand TAB from 12noon on Saturday 2 May. There will be no Fixed Odds betting on the race.

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