Kentucky Derby Weather Information
Will the field in this year’s Kentucky Derby deal with a wet track at Churchill Downs?
Weather Report
The weather in Louisville, KY, the site of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, is calling for showers throughout the day. Rain is expected to fall at 8:00AM and last until 1:00PM, then break until 4:00PM. With post time set for 6:24PM ET, the rain is expected to stop by 6:00PM ET in Louisville. Thus, while the field might not run in rain, that doesn’t mean the track won’t be muddy.
Kentucky Derby Odds
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, Always Dreaming is currently 14/5 to win Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Irish War Cry has the next-best odds at 4/1, followed by McCraken at 6/1 and Classic Empire at 7/1. Gunnevera, meanwhile, is 9/1 to win at Churchill Downs, followed by Gormley at 10/1 and Tapwrit at 12/1.
Which contenders benefit from a sloppy track?
This question is tricky because the answer isn’t cut-and-dry. For example, a wet track at Churchill Downs isn’t the same as a wet track at Santa Anita or in Arkansas. That said, according to America’s Best Racing.net, Classic Empire and Lookin At Lee have already raced on a wet track at Churchill Downs. Classic Empire, in fact, captured his career debut on a sloppy track, winning by a length-and-half on May 4 last year.
Gormley also won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on a sloppy track at Santa Anita, while Hence won on a wet track at Oaklawn Park. Battle of Midway posted a win at a fast, but wet surface in his career debut at Santa Anita. Irap, Gunnevera, Untrapped and Sonneteer have all had some success on wet tracks as well.
