Vegas Play of the Day: Kentucky Derby

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, May 6, 2017 | 2 a.m.

We’ve entered the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

McCraken minus-150 to finish better than Gunnevera: $600 to win $400

Before every major sporting event, sports book types promote Las Vegas as, “the second-best place to be,” behind only actually attending. The Kentucky Derby is one example where the claim fully checks out.

The environment around town will be electric leading up to the Kentucky Derby’s 3:34 post time this afternoon. And, even more important, there will be plenty of ways to bet the biggest race of the year — even more than there are at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Props and head-to-head horse matchups litter every betting board in town. One of the smartest ways for a local bettor to approach betting the race, therefore, is to figure out a horse they like the most and identify a matchup wager with a horse they don’t like as much.

That’s what I’ve done here. McCraken is my favorite horse in the race. He’s undefeated at Churchill Downs and offers perhaps the best late speed in the race.

He’s also accustomed to running in the mud, which might be a requirement with rain in the forecast. Gunnevera, on the other hand, isn’t as attractive of a bet.

He came into the Florida Derby as the favorite but finished a disappointing third. Gunnevera does have four victories on his résumé, but he’s not been able to beat Derby favorites like Always Dreaming and Classic Empire.

This field will be too overwhelming for Gunnevera. McCraken is poised to succeed.

Current Standings: Grimala (9-12, $9,193), Granger (15-19-1, $8,667), Keefer (42-37-3, $7,930), Brewer (30-30-1, $7,425)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.