2021 Kentucky Derby odds, predictions: Expert who nailed 9 Derby-Oaks Doubles lists picks

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The 2021 horse racing Triple Crown schedule is expected to revert back to normal after the coronavirus pandemic turned the 2020 season on its head. That means the 2021 Kentucky Derby will take place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, and the top three-year-olds in the world have already started accumulating points for a chance to run for the roses. The Brad Cox-trained Mandaloun has already racked up 52 points in the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby standings after a third-place finish at the Lecomte Stakes and a win at the Risen Star Stakes.

However, Mandaloun is still fetching 30-1 odds in the latest 2021 Kentucky Derby odds from the race’s futures book, while stablemate Essential Quality is currently an 8-1 co-favorite along with Life is Good. But where can you look for value in the 2021 Kentucky Derby futures, and which horses should you avoid until you’ve seen more? With so much to consider, you’ll want to see what SportsLine’s Jody Demling has to say before entering any 2021 Kentucky Derby picks and predictions of your own.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2021 Kentucky Derby on a major heater: At one point last year, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.

This is the same handicapper who hit the Derby-Oaks double at Churchill Downs nine times in the last 12 years. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby all but three times in his last 12 tries.

He opened last season’s Triple Crown schedule on a heater too. At last year’s Belmont, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg’s horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the 2021 Kentucky Derby lineup taking shape, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2021 Kentucky Derby predictions  

One shocker: Demling is fading Essential Quality, even though that horse is going off as one of the top Vegas favorites and won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. In fact, he says Essential Quality doesn’t even crack the top five. Essential Quality is currently second in the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby standings with 30 points after winning the Breeders’ Cup Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year as a two-year old.

However, trainer Brad Cox has yet to train a horse to win a Triple Crown event, making the 8-1 price too steep to pay for your 2021 Kentucky Derby bets, according to Demling.

Another curveball: Demling is high on Dream Shake, even though he’s a 20-1 long shot. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The Peter Eurton-trained horse shocked onlookers at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 7, when he went off as a 20-1 underdog and raced to a victory in his debut. Even more impressive was that Dream Shake defeated Bezos, the Bob Baffert-trained horse who was the 3-5 favorite, by over 15 lengths.

Ridden by Joel Rosario at Santa Anita, Dream Shake is now firmly on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Based on his first effort with the blinkers on, the ownership team of Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing and Richard Hausman can’t wait to get him back in the starting gate. Demling agrees, saying, “If Dream Shake were trained by Bob Baffert, we would be talking Derby favorite,” and believes the colt is worth putting in your 2021 Kentucky Derby picks.

How to make 2021 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is especially high on a monumental long shot that would net any backer a colossal windfall. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2021? And what huge long shot does Demling say contends? Check out the latest 2021 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby.

Essential Quality 8-1 Life is Good 8-1 Caddo River 12-1 Risk Taking 15-1 Greatest Honour 15-1 Candy Man Rocket 20-1 Dream Shake 20-1 Concert Tour 20-1 Freedom Fighter 20-1 Highly Motivated 20-1 Hot Rod Charlie 20-1 Keepmeinmind 20-1 Medina Spirit 20-1 Prevalence 20-1 The Great One 20-1 Jackie’s Warrior 30-1 Mandaloun 30-1 Midnight Bourbon 30-1 Nova Rags 30-1 Roman Centurian 30-1 Senor Buscador 30-1 Swiftsure 30-1 Fire At Will 50-1 Field 7-2