Triple Crown winners go after another Kentucky Derby
Secretariat is the 7-2 favorite in computersimulated race to be shown on NBC.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby will be run Saturday at Churchill Downs. Sort of.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the “real” Kentucky Derby until Sept. 5, a “virtual” edition of horse racing’s biggest event will happen Saturday, which is when the race was originally scheduled.
The computer-simulated race will pit the sport’s 13 Triple Crown winners against one another to decide the ultimate champion. The racetrack teamed up with Inspired Entertainment, which created the virtual Derby using data algorithms — including historical handicapping information about each horse — to help determine the probability of their potential finishing positions.
The virtual race is scheduled for broadcast on NBC at about 2:45 p.m. PDT. Secretariat, who holds the record times in all three Triple Crown races, was installed as the 7-2 favorite by Derby oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Secretariat won the race in 1973, the first step in becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.
Next in the morning-line odds is Citation at 4-1. Affirmed and Seattle Slew are co-third choices at 5-1. The two most recent Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah and Justify, are 6-1 and 15-1 on the morning line.
“I didn’t have the heart to hang more than 20-1 odds on a Triple Crown winner,”
Battaglia said.
There is no official wagering available on Saturday’s race, but fans can visit KentuckyDerby.com to pick a winner and join Churchill Downs in making a charitable donation to COVID-19 relief efforts. All fans who select the winning horse will be entered in a contest to win “the ultimate Kentucky Derby 146 VIP experience,” according to the track.
Churchill Downs has also pledged to match up to $1 million in donations with that money going to the Team Kentucky Fund Direct Relief. Some funds will be set aside for Relief for Equine Industry Needs, a program that benefits workers on the backside whose lives have been affected by the pandemic and to help ensure essential care for horses.
The field, in post-position order, with jockeys and odds: Affirmed (Steve Cauthen), 5-1; Assault (Warren Mehrtens), 20-1; Secretariat (Ron Turcotte), 7-2; Sir Barton (Johnny Loftus), 20-1; Seattle Slew (Jean Cruguet), 5-1; American Pharoah (Victor Espinoza), 6-1; Gallant Fox (Earle Sande), 20-1; Citation (Eddie Arcaro), 4-1; War Admiral (Charles Kurtsinger), 8-1; Whirlaway (Eddie Arcaro), 6-1; Count Fleet (Johnny Longden), 6-1; Justify (Mike Smith), 15-1; Omaha (Willie Saunders), 20-1.