Horse Racing

Now it gets real. Over the next six weeks, the races on the 2018 Kentucky Derby qualifying schedule take a big jump up on the points scale, with six races awarding 50 points to the winner, and seven awarding 100 points, meaning a win in any of those races will lock up a spot in the Derby gate.

There's racing on the holiday Monday at Oaklawn Park with the running of the (G3) Southwest Stakes. A full field of 10 three-year-old colts have been entered to run 1 1/16 miles on the Oaklawn dirt, chasing a purse of $500,000 and valuable 2018 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

One of two qualifying races for the 2018 Kentucky Derby, the El Camino Real Derby is unique in that the horses run the 1 1/8 miles race on the all-weather track at northern California's Golden Gate Fields. The race has drawn a field of nine, and the winner will grab 10 Derby qualifying points.

On an excellent day of racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the $200,000 (G2) Rachel Alexandra Stakes for three-year-old fillies is a qualifier for the 2018 Kentucky Oaks. Eight have been entered to chase the purse money over 1 1/16 miles on the dirt, with a win sealing a spot in the Oaks' lineup.

The first Kentucky Derby qualifying race in North America to offer 50 points to the winner goes this Saturday from Fair Grounds in New Orleans with the running of the $400,000 (G2) Risen Star Stakes. Ten have drawn into the field to run 1 1/16 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt course.

The very first Oaks and Derby races in the world, the Epsom Oaks and Epsom Derby have been run continuously in the UK since the late 1700s. This year's races are set to go on June 1, and June 2, respectively, and today we take a look at a few of the double-digit future bet options at Bovada.

There's only one Kentucky Derby qualifying race on the schedule for Saturday, but it should be a good one. The (G3) Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs goes 1 1/16 miles on the dirt and offers a purse of $250,000, while the field includes two runners currently in the Top 20 in Derby qualifying.

Until the launch of the Pegasus World Cup in the United States two years ago, the $10 million Dubai World Cup was by far the richest horse race in the world. Despite it's second-place status in purse money, it's still a major event, and Bovada has future bet options on the March 31 race.

Arguably the most competitive of three Kentucky Derby qualifying races to be run on Saturday is the (G3) Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in New York. The field of six will race 1 1/8 miles on the dirt for a purse of $250,000, and includes Firenze Fire, currently second on the Derby leaderboard.