ESKENDEREYA cemented his position at the top of the Kentucky Derby betting market and put a nail in the coffin of the great British hope Awesome Act. Eskendereya is on a steep upward spiral and slaughtered his field in the $750k Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct winning by almost ten lengths.
It was Jackson Bend who chased the Todd Pletcher star home from British trainer Jeremy Noseda's Awesome Act, who lost a shoe in the race and was denied second place by only a head.
Undeterred, Noseda stated that Awesome Act will still take on the winner at Churchill Downs. Even allowing for Awesome Act stumbling and losing that shoe as well as being held up out the back of the 6 runner race when there was a slow pace, hopes of victory in the Kentucky Derby can only be rated as optimistic.
Eskendereya started the race as a 2-1 ON favorite with Noseda's charge second favorite. It was superlative performance by Eskendereya who now trades at betting odds of 3/1 with BetUS Sportsbook for The Kentucky Derby on May 1.
Incredibly for a man with his record, Todd Pletcher has drawn a blank from twenty four previous runners in The Kentucky Derby. Little surprise that Pletcher rates Eskendereya his best chance ever.
Pletcher told us: "This horse just doesn't stop improving. He wasn't even stretched to win as he did. There is more to come."
John Velazquez, the man on board for the Eskendereya steering job, described his mount as incredible.
Eskendereya's Kentucky Derby betting line has dropped from 33/1 to odds of 3/1 with BetUS Sportsbook after the horse's last two facile victories. Those odds may still look very generous come May 1 at Churchill Downs. Take a look at the rest of The Kentucky Derby betting lines:
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