What the gurus say about Zandon, Taiba, other horses
LAS VEGAS — Even in advance of we can pay out for our horse racing admission, we’re confronted by all those dispensing tout sheets at the entry way.
Even ahead of reporting on sports betting turned my livelihood, the intestine feel was to bypass that facts, and upon additional reporting in the area, one sharp bettor I spoke to verified my hunch.
“Why would someone possessing facts about who’s likely to gain give it away for totally free?”
Specifically.
So as we head to Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, let’s disregard the tout services and confer with the wisest handicappers we know, gentlemen who maintain their investigate and evaluation to them selves – unless of course pressed by their reporter buddy.
My possess prevailing principle when betting prosperous fields like the Derby, which is established to start at 6:57 p.m. Saturday on NBC, is to go after the value linked to the non-favorites specified the depth of talent and the traffic that can alter the very best of race tactics.
This esteemed panel assembled listed here has expressed a identical sentiment, discovering reason to generally stay clear of 3/1 favored Zandon in favor of contenders who can create a extra lucrative payoff.
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Let us start off, on the other hand, with a Zandon supporter.
“Big” Dave Samarzich, an occasional occupant of the magnificent Eddie Logan Suite for VIPs at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, is an expert player who chats with a slew of horse racing insiders in advance of laying down his wagers.
The amount of money of income that folks just take household from betting is their own organization, but a person of my favored tales is “Big D” stuffing his sweat-pant pockets with hundreds in dollars and shoving in a 50 percent-dozen complementary Snickers bars in there for great evaluate as he exited the suite a single working day.
“They obtained the favourite improper. Epicenter (the 7/2 2nd option) should be the preferred,” Samarzich explained.
His reasoning is pinned to the perception that coach Steve Asmussen, who is famously -for-23 in the Derby, has a remarkable horse whose sire, Giant’s Causeway “could run all working day.” Epicenter has received four of six races.
Samarzich expects Santa Anita Derby runner-up Messier to go to the guide with Epicenter, but he foresees Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba (12/1) as the additional formidable choice than 8/1 Messier, with 3-time Derby winning jockey John Velazquez aboard.
“I’m going to be looking at everything (pre-race) and if the track’s sloppy (with Friday thundershowers forecasted to generate by Saturday morning), then I’m going with Taiba to gain,” Samarzich explained. “Its sire, Gun Runner, could run in the mud all day.”
If conditions are fewer saturated, Samarzich expects Epicenter to “chew up” Messier.
“When these horses expend so significantly strength going head to head, it will take a great deal out of them and they wind up shedding that punch at the conclude,” he stated. “Zandon is the serious offer and ran big to win the Blue Grass Stakes. He’ll occur managing down the stretch.
“And considering that we know Taiba has presently looked Messier in his eye and spit in it, I’m heading with a boxed exacta of Zandon, with people incredible pace rankings, alongside with Taiba and Epicenter.”
Boxed exacta defined: A bet on two or more horses to end first and 2nd in any particular buy.
Samarzich will include in a longshot wager on 20/1 Simplification, believing bettors must cast apart thing to consider of its defeat the last time out.
“He was pestered to the guide and was done in, dropping by a couple lengths, but he likes coming off the tempo,” Samarzich said.
That moves us to veteran sports activities publicity gentleman Steve Brener, the Santa Anita Park publicist who has guess on the Derby for decades as a pleasurable apart.
His awareness of the sport, and his countless contacts, make Brener a should-see person on Derby weekends for the reason that he’s typically manning the significant-combat Cinco de Mayo boxing playing cards in Las Vegas, such as Saturday’s Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol gentle-heavyweight title struggle at T-Mobile Arena.
Brener’s breakdown is temporary.
“I consider (jockey) Mike Smith will have Taiba in the correct spot early in the race and when it is go time, I consider this horse will clearly show spectacular kick to earn the race from Epicenter and Joel Rosario,” Brener explained. “My longshot participate in is Crown Pride (20/1) from Japan.”
An additional astute member of our crew is Bally’s Interactive Senior Vice President of Threat and Buying and selling Jay Rood, the former head of the MGM Race and Sporting activities e book in Las Vegas who routinely has presented good quality Kentucky Derby opinions.
Shockingly, Rood likes a hefty longshot, Zozos, a Minnesota horse.
“He’s only run 3 times, but he was second to Epicenter (in the late-March Louisiana Derby), and I imagine he’s got a shot to funds a large ticket if he’s been properly trained nicely,” Rood said. “He’s unproven but total of potential.”
Rood also likes Crown Delight for the reason that “the area is broad open up.”
Lastly, before we settle on our personal pick, we seek the advice of Bob McGrath, the veteran player who has mentored my own observe wagering in the course of the past 10 years.
McGrath, like Samarzich, explained he’ll be seeing the track’s issue carefully Saturday.
“My pick is for an exacta box with Mo Donegal (10/1), Epicenter, Messier and Zandon, and my two longshot picks hitting the board are Barber Highway (30/1) and Cyberknife (20/1, also sired by Gun Runner),” McGrath explained.
“With 22 horses in the industry, just about anything can occur. My own most loved is Mo Donegal … fantastic luck. We’ll all want it.”
Probably it is my West Coastline bias, but the truth that Taiba has already proven amazing closing speed to dash past Messier toward the wire at the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby portends fantastic points for the even bigger 1 ¼-mile race Churchill Downs.
The odds are best, the horse is formidable, and Mike Smith is the jockey. I’ll roll the dice on that all working day, just about every day.
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