Microsoft predicts the Kentucky Derby winner -- will you use it to win money at OTB?
My knowledge of horses doesn't extend much past watching Mr. Ed on "Nick at Nite" (Hello, Wilbur) as a kid. Equestrian activities are often reserved for the wealthy and gamblers -- two things I am not. I did go to OTB (Off-track betting) a couple of years ago to bet on a horse named after Tony Danza, but I digress.
One of the most popular horse racing events is the Kentucky Derby. Microsoft's Bing is now focusing its predictability-powers on it. Bing Predicts has been quite succesful in the past -- could this help folks win some money?
"Thoroughbred racing is an exciting–and difficult–sport to predict. For example, the collective wisdom of the crowd captured by the betting markets only managed to correctly predict the winner in 37 percent of all races in the past 10 years. With so many variables in play, including (but not limited to) track conditions, past performance by the horses, the jockeys and the trainers, and even the genetics of the horses", says the Bing Predicts Team.
The team further says, "regarding genetics, there is a so-called X factor which is a mutation on the X chromosome that makes the heart up to 3 times larger than normal. Many former champions had it, including the legendary Secretariat, and others are rumored to have it, such as last year’s champion American Pharoah. That said, the Bing Predicts team is using web and social data to algorithmically determine the winners of this year’s major horse races".
Bing Predicts shares its top five below.
- Nyquist
- Mohaymen
- Outwork
- Destin
- Exaggerator
While Microsoft probably doesn't intend its list to be used for gambling, I totally plan to use it as such. Even though I am not typically a gambler, I will head to OTB tomorrow and put some money on each of the above horses, in that exact order of placing. Why not?
Will you use Microsoft's list to possibly win some money tomorrow? Tell me in the comments.
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