2017 Kentucky Derby Expert Picks and Predictions

A lot of people in the know are of the opinion that the 2017 Kentucky Derby will be a close one to call. There is no standout favorite to win the race, and there are a handful of capable contenders. However, there are still some horse racing experts who have stuck their necks out in favor of one horse to win. Read on below to check out which horses got the most votes of confidence by those experts.

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2017 Kentucky Derby Expert Picks

KentuckyDerby.com

EXPERT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd
Joe Kristufek | Always Dreaming | McCraken | Classic Empire
John Asher | McCraken | Classic Empire | Always Dreaming
Jill Byrne | McCraken | Practical Joke | Irish War Cry
Ed DeRosa | Classic Empire | Irish War Cry | Hence
James Scully | Always Dreaming | Practical Joke | McCraken
Kellie Reilly | McCraken | Irish War Cry | Classic Empire

Of the six top horse racing experts polled by the Kentucky Derby’s own website, half went with McCraken (+375) to come away from Churchill Downs with the win. A couple went with Always Dreaming, the current favorite odds-wise at +300. Classic Empire (+450) got the other vote to claim the win.

But if you want a couple of horses with some lower odds – and higher payout – to bet on, Irish War Cry (+500) and Practical Joke (+750) both garnered two votes apiece for 2nd place, and could be worth a shot.

HorseRacingNation.com

EXPERT | WINNER
Brian Zipse | McCraken

Horse Racing Nation columnist Brian Zipse didn’t mince his words when he wrote his column “Why McCraken Will win the 2017 Kentucky Derby.” Zipse lists down not one, not two, not three, but six reasons why McCraken will win the Run for the Roses. Those reasons are:

1. pedigree
2. familiarity and success at Churchill Downs
3. the right racing style for the Derby
4. preparedness
5. his trainer, Ian Wilkes and
6. his jockey, Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Those are all pretty compelling reasons for McCraken, which is also a big reason why McCraken (+375) currently has the second-best odds to win the race behind Always Dreaming.

The Derby Handicapper

EXPERT | WINNER
Michael J. Cox | Classic Empire

And last but not least, Michael J. Cox has made Classic Empire his Kentucky Derby favorite. Cox claims he narrowed down his top two contenders to Classic Empire and Always Dreaming. He goes into detail why he picked Classic Empire, from analytics all the way to historical comparisons. It’s certainly convincing enough for someone to lay down some money on Classic Empire’s current price of +450 to win.

Who do you have winning the big race? Create a betting account now to get in on the action for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

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