Kentucky Derby 2017: Superfecta Ticket Punched

Sorry I’m a little late following up with my Kentucky Derby 2017 superfecta tickets, but with $1,600 to bet on the Derby coming from 24 friends, there was much collecting, depositing, handicapping and betting to be done. So it’s now time for a brief rundown of Derby hopefuls I included and the two superfecta tickets punched.

1 - Lookin’ at Lee - most likely the only horse to get the dreaded first post position that didn’t worry me. He’ll drop back, save ground along the rail and hopefully find some racing room to finish second, third or fourth.

8 - Hence - this truly is a strange Derby year with horses coming from nowhere to win Derby prep races. With his Sunland Derby win, which produced next out Blue Grass winner, Irap and Arkansas Derby runner up Conquest Mo Money, this Steve Asmussen trainee seems to have won a key race. He’s all over my ticket from second to fourth.

9 - Irap - what do you do with a Blues Stakes winner who simultaneously broke his maiden in the same race? Got to use him, if not a little defensively, as in just in case.

10 - Gunnevera - what can I say, I am a sucker for a good story and this son of Dialed In has a great narrative and just may cap it off with a late bid for the Roses. He’s on the ticket from top to bottom.

11 - Battle of Midway - the little Santa Anita runner up is on one ticket purely just in case in the second spot.

12 - Sonneteer - speaking of maidens, here’s a stakes-placed, but yet to win Derby hopeful. In a weird year, he could take a piece of the Derby pie. He’s strictly an underneath play for me though.

13 - J Boys Echo - one of my on-the-fence horses, who gets in with almost $800 in superfecta bets made, I can afford him.

14 - Classic Empire - the two-year-old champ, gets on the tickets, in all spots, based on class and the possibility he’s just better than the rest here.

15 - McCraken - the choice and with so much money to bet, I actually singled him on one ticket, so I could use almost all horses to come in second and some top choices to finish third and fourth. This is a crazy bet for me to make and without my friends pooling their money, I wouldn’t make it.

16 - Tapwrit - can he rebound from a poor Blue Grass effort? At odds around 30-1, I am willing to find out.  He’s underneath for me.

17 - Irish War Cry - believe me, it was hard to dismiss a seventh place finish, by 21 lengths this guy had in the Fountain of Youth…but I did. I also have much respect for Graham Motion, so the bounce-back Wood Memorial winner is on the bet first through fourth.

Off the ticket 

5 - Always Dreaming - it was challenging for me to do, but I dropped the likely Derby co-favorite off my tickets. Both his inexperience and the fact that he’s been hard to handle on Churchill backside all week gave me confidence to keep him off. 

Onward to the two bets.

The Single: 15/1,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18/1,8,10,13,14,16/1,8,10,14,16 for $270

The Beast: 9,10,14,15,17/9,10,14,15,17/1,10,12,13,14,15,16/1,10,12,13,15,16 for $504

Good luck in however you wager on the Kentucky Derby!