Kentucky Derby Recap

From second to last at the 1/2 mile post to blow past the field on the rail, just phenomenal view and brilliant pickup of the move by the track announcer.

Brilliant ride by the jockey of Street Sense.

Recall our picks to watch were in order:
Street Sense
Scat Daddy
Great Hunter

Of course Street Sense was bet down to the race favorite by the time the horses went to the post, so there would not have been much money in having the favorite win.
I have to admit to thinking about trying to nail the old trifecta with these three but never got around to it. But luckily I did not consult with this fellow before the race. Sounds like he's getting both his gambling and probability and statistics skills from our old friend Charles Barkley.

http://blog.sportscolumn.com/story/2007/5/8/85738/80228/oth_other/How_not_to_bet_the_Kentucky_Derby

We love betting the trifecta. For a buck or two, you can win hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a race. Hell, sometimes we'll even go crazy and go with the trifecta box. However, we also know enough about statistics to know that you can't bet every single permutation in a race and expect to come out on top.

But that's exactly what a man in Rochester, NY did. On the day of the Kentucky Derby, a man walked into an OTB and asked how much it would cost to buy every possible trifecta combination. And now we break for a quick math lesson--

If you have 20 horses in the field, the possible outcomes for the first three horses would be 20! / (20-3)! = 6,840. Likewise, a superfecta (first 4 horses) would be 116,280. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming--

The man was told the answer and came back to place the wagers. It cost him a total of $13,680 for his $2 trifectas and he wound up winning... wait for it... wait for it... $440. If you're gonna make a bet like this, you better know what you're getting yourself into. And since the payout odds are terrible on favorites, you should just eliminate those trifecta combinations. But alas, the man had more cash than math skills so now he's $13,240 poorer for his trouble.

This story would only be better if he does the exact same thing in the Preakness.