How to Bet on the Kentucky Derby: A Betting Guide

Learn how to bet on the Kentucky Derby with this simple betting guide by YouWager.lv.

The Kentucky Derby is America’s most popular betting contest. It is considered the Super Bowl of horse racing.

Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky hosts the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, annually on the first Saturday in May. Three-year-old thoroughbreds compete in this one-and-a-quarter mile race.

Additionally, the Triple Crown circuit includes the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, and the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland.

Where Can I Bet On The Kentucky Derby?

Step 1: Select A Racebook

The first step to winning at the Run for the Roses is selecting a Kentucky Derby betting site.Racebooks are sites for placing bets on horse racing. All Kentucky Derby betting sites we recommend are trustworthy, safe, secure, and meet our requirements. We wouldn’t suggest them otherwise.

Step 2: Sign Up

Registration takes minutes and is easy. Verify your legal gambling age by entering your name, email address, deposit information, and birthday. Complete all required information and await a confirmation email or link. Keep your deposit information handy to place your first bet and get the greatest Kentucky Derby bets after completing the sign-up process.

Step 3: Make A Deposit

You decide how to fund your account. Choose a deposit option that works for you while betting real money at your favorite racebook.

Most betting sites accept deposits using credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX), e-wallets (PayPal, Neteller, Skrill), and debit. Some online sports betting sites accept cryptocurrencies. Many gambling sites accept Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash, and Ethereum.

Step 4: Place Your Bet

Choose Churchill Downs track. Choose the Kentucky Derby number. Pick your horse. Bet kind.

Enter your monetary amount and submit your bet slip. Bet on the Kentucky Derby at a racebook from our list now that you’re on the fast track!

How Do Odds Work For The Kentucky Derby?

Find out how to bet on the Kentucky Derby with our comprehensive guide to betting formats and odds reading.

This is how your racebook displays Kentucky Derby odds:

  • Forte +400
  • Tarpit Trice +600
  • Practical Move +800

The horse with the lowest odds is the Kentucky Derby favorite, while the other horses are underdogs at Churchill Downs.

If you staked $100 on Forte to win the Kentucky Derby, you’d collect $500. You get $100 back and $400 in wins. Use our chances Calculator to estimate your winnings depending on chances and wager amount.

The Kentucky Derby is unpredictable. Speed alone is not enough to win a wager in a field of 20 horses. Luck is also important to increase your chances of winning.

Kentucky Derby Winners At Churchill Downs

Year Winner Time Odds Track
2022 Rich Strike 02:02.61 +9900 Fast
2021 Mandaloun 02:01.36 +1200 Fast
2020 Authentic 02:00.61 +800 Fast
2019 Country House 02:03.93 +6500 Sloppy
2018 Justify 02:04.20 +300 Sloppy

Kentucky Derby winner gets $1.86 million-ish. Second place gets $600,000. Third gets $300,000. Fourth receives $150,000 and fifth $90,000.

The winning jockey receives 10% of the prize.

Kentucky Derby Betting: Types Of Bets

The Kentucky Derby provides numerous betting options, each offering a chance to win large.

You can bet on the Kentucky Derby online or at Churchill Downs with our betting advice on sports’ most exciting two minutes.

Straight Bet: Win, Place, Show

Start your Kentucky Derby betting journey with our win, place, show guide for novices.

Win Betting

Win bets are straightforward. Bet on the Kentucky Derby winner. You can win $400 if a horse with +400 odds (4/1) finishes first in the Kentucky Derby.

Place Betting

Your horse must place first or second in the Kentucky Derby in order for your wager to be successful. Although there are two ways to win with this wager, the reward will be less than with win betting because there is less risk associated with placing a place bet.

Show Betting

If you are betting on a horse to show, your equine must place first, second, or third in the Kentucky Derby. The payout on a show bet is typically lower than that of a place or win bet because it offers you three chances to win. A show bet carries even less risk than place betting does.

Across The Board

This wager requires that the horse you choose to enter the Kentucky Derby must either place, win, or show. This involves placing multiple Kentucky Derby bets on the same ticket, much to a parlay bet in other sports. You receive payouts for wins, places, and shows if your horse wins the Kentucky Derby. You will earn place and show payouts if your horse places second in the Kentucky Derby; if your horse places third, you will only receive the show prize.

Kentucky Derby Horse Matchup Wagering

Sports gamblers find betting matches in horse racing interesting because they are used to choose between two teams with a point spread rather than a field of 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby. A showdown in the Kentucky Derby comprises two horses in the field with a moneyline similar to that of team sports, as opposed to handicapping the field of twenty horses and choosing a winner.

When placing a wager on the Kentucky Derby, a bettor is just speculating as to which horse will finish ahead of the other, regardless of whether the horse wins. You can win your bet even if your horse finishes fifth in the Kentucky Derby; the other horse simply needs to place sixth or worse.

It is possible to see the favorite at -115 and the underdog at +115 for the Kentucky Derby. In this case, a bettor might choose to back the underdog by wagering $100 for a $215 payment, or they could play $115 for a $215 payout on the favorite. Matchup wagering might be the best option for you if you’re looking for a way to place a wager on the race but only know a little about a couple of the Kentucky Derby’s horses.

The Kentucky Derby Futures Bet

A futures bet necessitates placing a wager on a winner several weeks or even months prior of the Kentucky Derby. A futures bet will enable you to participate in the Kentucky Derby betting activity early, at set and frequently lucrative odds, if you’re attempting to figure out how to wager on the Derby well in advance.

There are no refunds for scratches in a futures bet. You can tear up your ticket before they open the gate if the horse you bet on isn’t the one who makes it to the Kentucky Derby.

Pick 3, Pick 4 And Pick 6 Betting

Try your hand at Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 6 wagers for a more sophisticated kind of horse betting. There are lots of opportunities to wager on horses at Triple Crown events like the Breeders’ Cup and Kentucky Derby.

This is a collection of racing bets, much like a parlay bet. A Pick 4 requires you to pick the winners of four consecutive races, whilst a Pick 3 requires you to choose the winners of three consecutive races. A Pick 6 requires you to predict the results of six straight races, thus it’s best suited for more experienced bettors.

Daily Double Wagering

We advise new players to place a daily double wager. This type of wager has lower stakes because you are just required to choose the winner of two consecutive races.

Exotic Wager: Exacta Bets

A typical wager for people looking to learn how to wager on the Kentucky Derby is an exacta. You have to select the top two Kentucky Derby horses in the right sequence. An exacta bet, sometimes referred to as a perfecta bet, is a better option than a win, place, and show wager.

The exacta may net you $80 if a +1500 long shot wins the Kentucky Derby and the +200 favorite comes in second. The exacta may yield a profit of $45 if the +200 favorite wins the Kentucky Derby and the +1500 long shot finishes second.

You can place an exacta box bet and an exacta key bet in addition to the standard exacta wager.

Trifecta Box Betting

Trifecta betting is a fantastic place to start if you’re interested in Kentucky Derby betting on a more complex level. Getting the top three horses in the Kentucky Derby in the precise order is what wins a trifecta wager.

Trifecta wagering is riskier than exacta betting, but it offers the potential for more payouts should the horses you have picked for the Kentucky Derby finish in the precise order.

A Super High Five forecasts the first five horses in the right order, while a Superfecta forecasts the first four horses in the right order. A double (Kentucky Derby/Kentucky Oaks) is one type of special bet where gamblers attempt to predict the winner of both races, with the Kentucky Oaks scheduled for Friday and the Kentucky Derby scheduled on Saturday.

Quinella Wagering

An exacta wager and a quinella bet are similar, but the sequence in which your two horses arrive at the Kentucky Derby is irrelevant. The reward will be identical.

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