Betting Picks

The winner of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and the Two-Year-Old Horse of the Year, Good Magic has been under a lot of scrutiny this spring on the road to the 2018 Kentucky Derby. He was a 12-1 oversight back in November when he won the BC Juvenile, and he'll be in that same range come Derby Day.

Along with Justify, Magnum Moon is the second horse to make the 2018 Kentucky Derby field who did not race as a two-year-old in 2017. Given that a horse unraced at two has not won the Derby in more than 130 years, these horses are usually a toss for handicappers of the race. But this year, both of these horses are legitimate contenders to win.

Although almost all of the 20 horses set to race in the 2018 KY Derby were born and bred in Kentucky, the Derby almost always sets off a debate over West coast versus East coast horses. As a betting angle, horses that have been doing most of their prep racing in California have had an edge in the past few years.

The winner of three straight races to start his career, California-based Bolt d'Oro appeared to have a lock on the Champion Two-Year-Old Colt title in 2017 until running third in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He came into the 2018 season with an eye on redemption and a Kentucky Derby title and he remains a solid contender on the first Saturday of May.

We don't know whether Rafael Nadal is a fan of the film Spinal Tap but not unlike Nigel Tufnel's amplifiers, Nadal seeks to be the first one to go to 11 at the ATP Monte Carlo Masters 1000 tournament. Nadal has won 10 titles in the event, and as the current World No. 1, as well as the two-time defending champion, you have to like his chances.

They say to be the best, you must beat the best, and in the NBA playoffs, two proud past champions are teetering. In the West, the defending champion Golden State Warriors will start postseason play minus injured all-world guard Stephen Curry. In the East, the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers haven't looked like themselves all season long. Are we about to see the crowning of new title holders?

The final major prep race for the 2018 Kentucky Derby goes Saturday from Oaklawn Park, with the running of the (G1) $1 million Arkansas Derby. As a Kentucky Derby qualifying race, nine are expected to go to the gate to chase the purse money and 100 qualifying points to the winner. They'll be racing 1 1/8 miles on the Oaklawn dirt track.

As one of the strangest records in all of sports, it has been 135 years since a horse that didn't race as a two year old has won the Kentucky Derby at age three. With his impressive win the (G1) Santa Anita Derby, Justify will be going to Churchill Downs with a solid chance of breaking that streak.

In recent years, the pursuit of the NBA title has proven to be a two-horse race between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. They've met in the last three NBA Finals, with Golden State winning in the odd years (2015, 2017) and Cleveland in the even year (2016). But there's a new stud in the race this year and the Houston Rockets might be the thoroughbred to beat.