Bet Sports

The March Madness betting tournament's conclusion signals the beginning of the countdown to the Kentucky Derby set for May 7, 2011. Here is a look at some of the contenders for the upcoming horse betting Triple Crown set for May and June of 2011.

Despite not having run in a race since the first weekend of March, Todd Pletcher trained horse Uncle Mo remains the all around favorite to not only win at the Derby, but win the entire Triple Crown. Recall, Uncle Mo won in convincing fashion at the Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 12, against a field of relative unknowns. The one other horse on that race of note was Gallant Dreams a horse that was sired by Bernardini, who is the sire of Zenyatta's first foal.

This past weekend, Uncle Mo's biggest competitors Dialed In and Soldat took part in the Florida Derby, a Grade I race. Dialed In has been trained by legendary thoroughbred trainer Nick Zito, and appears to be in fine form. Over the weekend, Dialed In was considered a long shot at winning the Florida Derby, due in large part to a second place finish at its previous race. Conversely, Soldat was considered the favorite, and the goal of Soldat owners was to have their horse win the race while having the odds of winning the Kentucky Derby raised. Instead, Dialed In once again rode away the victor, while Soldat finished an underwhelming fifth place.

Over the next few weeks, the thoroughbreds hoping to qualify for the Kentucky Derby will continue on in prep race season. This coming Saturday, Premier Pegasus and Uncle Mo each will be participating in their first Grade I races of the season. For Uncle Mo, horse handicappers will be glued to their televisions, as a loss on the Grade I level, will certainly turn Uncle Mo believers into critics.