There was a shakeup atop the odds to win the Kentucky Derby at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com following Nyquist’s victory at the $1 million Florida Derby, which extended the three-year-old colt’s perfect record on the track and made him the +300 betting favorite.
Nyquist’s dominating victory by three lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby marks his seventh straight win and further separates him from early favorite Mohaymen, who also entered the race undefeated but with a fourth-place finish on the day has stalled at +800 on the Kentucky Derby odds.
The Florida Derby had been billed as a showdown between the top two betting choices in the Run for the Roses, and looked to deliver before Nyquist pulled away from the pack in the final turn, paying off as a 6/5 wager.
With his poor showing at Gulfstream, Mohaymen dropped to third on the odds table ahead of the May 7 running of the 2016 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, looking up at Exaggerator, who has vaulted to +750 following a spectacular win at last week’s Santa Anita Derby.
Exaggerator trailed early leader Danzing Candy by 10 lengths before mounting an impressive stretch run on a sloppy Santa Anita Park track to claim victory by 6 1/4 lengths and boost Kentucky Derby odds that had previously been pegged at a middling +2500
Danzing Candy’s fourth-place finish at Santa Anita ended a three-race win streak and negatively impacted the colt’s betting stock, plummeting from +1200 to +2200 in wagering at Kentucky Derby betting sites.
Brody’s Cause also staged an impressive come-from-behind performance last weekend at Keeneland, claiming a 1 3/4-length win to pay off at 4/1 odds at the Blue Grass Stakes, and now joins the Kentucky Derby favorites at +950 after previously lagging at +1800.
Gun Runner has been idle since posting a second straight win at last month’s Louisiana Derby but has seen his odds climb slightly to +1200, ahead of Destin at +1400, and Mor Spirit, who sits at +1500 following a pair of second-place finishes at the Santa Anita Derby and San Felipe Stakes.
Cupid, the winner at last month’s Rebel Stakes, is also on the rise on the Kentucky Derby betting lines, climbing from +2000 to +1600, and could get a further boost with a victory at this weekend’s Arkansas Derby.
The three-year-old sits alongside Mo Tom, who is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Louisiana Derby and has just two victories in his last five races.
