Excitement is in the air in the betting world now that the 139 Kentucky Derby is less than a week away. Without a doubt, the anxiety over which horse will win the big race is reaching a boiling point. To make decisions about Kentucky Derby favorites easier, we have briefly outlined recent news updates that are of significance to bettors. As always, we will continue to give you updates like these on our blog up until the moment the race is run.

1. Pletcher dominates contenders list

This week, Bob Baffert had to pull two prominent horses out of the Kentucky Derby contenders list. Possibly replacing Super Ninety Nine and Den’s Legacy are two horses that already have a popular trainer. With these changes, Todd Pletcher will most likely have six out of 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby and four in the Kentucky Oaks.

2. Frac Daddy named for risky oil drilling procedure

DerbyBetting.org speculated that Frac Daddy was named after the famous horse Fric Frac, but we were mistaken. Instead, it appears that the Montana Oil businessmen that own Frac Daddy intentionally chose the name because of the success they have had with the controversial oil drilling technique called fracking.

3. Charming Kitten is now in the contenders list

Now that Den’s Legacy and Super Sixty Nine have been scratched from the contenders list, horses that were ranked in twenty-first and twenty-second place are revved up to take their spots. Replacing them are Charming Kitten and Winning Cause. However, the jury is still out on Winning Cause and it is likely that Code West (in twenty-third place) will actually run in the Kentucky Derby.

4. Churchill Downs is banning weird items

Over the past decade, Churchill Downs has stepped up security measures in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Each year, it seems that there is a new item that makes the banned list. While some items, such as large bags and backpacks, make sense, others are a little bit odd. For example, cameras with interchangeable lenses will be flagged by security at Kentucky Derby events.

5. National Anthem singer chosen

Before the Kentucky Derby begins, everyone stands to sing “My Old Kentucky Home” and listen to the National Anthem. This is an event that is broadcast on television around the world, and there have been a long list of celebrity singers to deliver this song. This year, multiple news sources state that country music singer, Martina McBride, has been chosen for this annual honor.

6. Kentucky Derby Festival dedicating to Boston Marathon

One of the most important events that happens before the Run for the Roses each year is the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon. Naturally, with the recent events related to the Boston Marathon bombing, Louisville is now focused on remembering the victims of this tragedy. For this reason, many of the Kentucky Derby marathon runners are making media announcements that they are dedicating their run to the injured victims in Boston to show solidarity.

7. Churchill Downs purchases more wireless

In the past, it was often very difficult to use your phone or wireless devices during the Kentucky Derby. This is especially frustrating for tourists trying to coordinate their location with other members of their party. Thankfully, Churchill Downs has upgraded their wireless service plan to complement the other aspects of the luxury lifestyle they represent.

8. Everyone is throwing out their early favorites

With only seven days until the race, the rest of the world has joined the state of Kentucky in pre-Derby jitters. With the clock ticking, many horse racing picks experts are throwing their predictions into the spotlight. Of course, this list cannot be finalized until a couple of days before the Kentucky Derby, but it is always nice to get an early opinion on the favorites. So far, top favorites from the past week are Orb, Verrazano, Revolutionary, and Rick Pitino’s Goldencents.

9. Palice Malice hoped to break dry spell

Aiken, South Carolina’s Dogwood Stable has an odd Kentucky Derby story to tell. Mainly, they have a 40-year record in having Kentucky Derby horses finish in the top five — but never in first place. This year, they are placing all of their hopes on Palace Malice to break the drought they have endured for four decades. Interestingly, it has been also been about four decades since a single horse has won the Triple Crown.

10. No point for Officer Alex

The new Kentucky Derby prep season points system has been a work in progress. One interesting development is that some trainers see no point in gathering points at the last wild card race before the Derby. For example, the trainer of Officer Alex decided to give their horse a break instead of pushing him to win a race that would not get them into the Kentucky Derby anyway.

Placing a good bet on the Kentucky Derby means doing your homework. In order to get the widest range of handicapping tools, sometimes you need a few weird facts to help you make your final decisions. Now that the contenders list for the 2013 Kentucky Derby is starting to shape up, it is the perfect time to start digging around for a few skeletons in these horse’s closets. After doing thorough research of the news produced about top contenders, our writers have produced odd facts that may help you place your most profitable Kentucky Derby bet.

1.) Top earner is not top horse

Before 2012, the way that a horse was selected for the Kentucky Derby depended on their purse winnings. This year, the top 20 contenders are selected based upon how many points they earned in the prep race season. So far, Orb and Verrazano are the horses with the most points, but not the most purse earnings. Using last year’s system, the weird fact of the matter is that Lines Of Battle would have been the center of attention. Instead, this top earner is in seventh place with 100 points.

2.) Small farms’ big chance

Most of the contenders list for the 2013 Kentucky Derby is focused on a few famous farms and trainers. One exception is the top contender Orb. Hailing from a small town in California, the owners of this horse are hoping to put their stables on the map.

3.) Does Frac relate to fracking?

Americans are deeply concerned by a process that uses water to mine for oil and other forms of energy. Called “fracking,” some spectators are worried that the horse Frac Daddy is named after this environmentally damaging process. Instead, horses are usually named after other winners. In this case, Frac Daddy is named for his father, Scat Daddy. The Frac part of his name is most likely a way to honor the great racehorse Fric Frac.

4.) Top earning female jockey

After Shanghai Bobby was taken out of the contenders list due to an injury, his jockey had to find another horse to meet her goal. Rosie Napravnik stands to beat a record that has been unbroken by a female jockey for 20 years. If she wins the Kentucky Derby on Mylute, Napravnik will hold the all time record for the most purse winnings for a single season.

5.) Mylute and Governor Charlie connected

There have been criticisms over the past decades about Thoroughbreds being inbred. While this is somewhat controversial, there are family connections in the 2013 Kentucky Derby contenders list. In particular, Mylute and Governor Charlie are half-brothers. Their common sire is Midnight Lute.

6.) Vyjack’s success surprises owner

In an interview with Vyjack’s owner, David Wilkenfeld, journalist Amanda Duckworth reveals surprising news. Mainly, the gelding’s rise to the top of the 2013 Kentucky Derby contenders list was never expected. Instead, Willkenfeld bought this horse for $45,000 at a two-year old sale without really expecting Vyjack to be much of a success. However, now that Vyjack is winning races, Willkenfeld is preparing to accept a new title, “winning Kentucky Derby horse owner.”

7.) Verrazano could be one of the slowest winners ever

One of the side-wagers that show up with exchange betting each year is for the beating the Kentucky Derby record time of 1:59.40. Achieved by Secretariat in 1973, few have come close since. Interestingly, multiple news sources have cited this year’s crop of three year olds as the slowest on record. The slowest winning of the Kentucky Derby was in 1891 at 2:52.25.

8.) Revolutionary kept in the cold

There has been a lot of focus on trainer, Todd Pletcher, because he has at least five horses in the Kentucky Derby contenders list and four horses in the Kentucky Oaks. While he has a lot of strategies, one is considered a little bit odd. In particular, news sources state that Pletcher decided to keep the horse, Revolutionary, in New York over the winter instead of Florida. So far, it appears that his technique is working.

9.) Is this horse a long shot?

The payouts for a long shot are always worth the investment, and it looks like this year’s candidate is Super Ninety Nine. The main issue is that this horse has underperformed and was scratched from key events such as the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint. Nevertheless, his positive performances in recent races has left many experts speculators mystified. In other words, keep your eye on Super Ninety Nine.

10.) Charming Kitten is waiting for a scratch

Owners were hesitant to assign a jockey to Charming Kitten because he was stuck in twentieth place on the 2013 Kentucky Derby contenders list with four other horses. Now, less than two weeks before the race, Charming Kitten is on standby at 21st place. He will only run in the race if another horse is scratched and the jockey will be determined at that time.

When you are trying to put together your bets for the Kentucky Derby, it is obvious that there are many funny names on the contenders list each year. A question in many bettors’ minds is whether there is some sort of method behind this madness. Interestingly, there are a lot of meanings behind Kentucky Derby horse names. Once you understand the history and rules governing these horses, you will be able to use this information to place better bets. In particular, many times a horse’s name specifies the championship-winning Thoroughbred that dominates their bloodline.

Why do horses have weird names?

Thoroughbreds are the type of horse that is featured in the Kentucky Derby. To keep pedigrees organized, each country that has Thoroughbred horses will have a stud book. To have a horse that is eligible to run in the Kentucky Derby, it must have a name registered with the official stud book in their country of origin. However, one of the rules is that horses cannot have the same name. Certainly, mistakes have been made over the past two hundred years, but computer technology now ensures that reusing an old name does not happen anymore. For this reason, horse names have become weirder over the past decades because so few names that make sense are available.

How to figure out what horse names mean

Do names carry special meaning? When you are a serious bettor, you want to evaluate every angle of a horse that you are considering investing in. To get all of the details, a few research methods are in order. Listed below, four ways to research horse names are detailed.

1. Use online etymology dictionaries to check for the origins of horse names.
2. Check Google translate for foreign meanings.
3. Search for specific news related to naming the horse.
4. Always remember the pedigree often dictates the horses name. For example, Frac Daddy is named for Scat Daddy and Fric Frac was a famous horse that the owners may have wanted to embody for their 2013 Kentucky Derby hopeful.

Possible name explanations for 2013 Kentucky Derby weird horse names

Verrazano: This name is not necessarily a noun that is easily translated into another language. Instead, there are two main references for this name. The first refers to one of the suspension bridges in New York City. The other is Giovanni da Verrazano who was one of the first Italian explorers of North America. Either reference denotes a grandeur that a winning Kentucky Derby horse needs.

Vyjack: This Kentucky Derby horse name is difficult to decipher because it does not appear to be constructed from pedigree names. It is also not a combination of jockey, owner, or trainer names. As a matter of fact, you will be hard pressed to find a reference to Vyjack before 2010. Nevertheless, it is likely that this name was taken from a part of US Navy history. There is a flag called the First Navy Jack and this is the best source for this name our writers at DerbyBetting.org could find.

Palace Malice: Do you like your athletes to look tough? This was definitely the intention behind naming Palace Malice. The Palace part of this horse’s name comes from his dam, Palace Rumour. On the other hand, malice was probably added because this word means evil and fierce – which is what most bettors want from a winning horse.

Super Ninety Nine: It is difficult to find clues in this horse is pedigree for why it earned this name. It can also be confusing to Panamanians that will assume that it is a popular chain of stores found around Panama City. In any case, it is possible that this horse was named after the Japanese anime series, “Submarine Super 99” that ran from 1970 to 1972.

Charming Kitten: This may sound like something a cat lover would name their racehorse. In spite of this, Charming Kitten’s name has everything to do with its lineage. The pedigree of this Kentucky Derby contender includes Kitten’s Joy, Kitten’s First and other Prince Charming-style enchanted names like Lady Madonna, Lady Capulet, Fairy Bridge, and Northern Dancer.