On the first Saturday in May, the finest thoroughbreds from around the globe gather at Churchill Downs in Louisville to compete in the most prestigious horse racing event known to man, the Kentucky Derby. In a sport renowned for all of the betting that takes place at tracks all over the world, the Kentucky Derby – the first leg of the Triple Crown – is the absolute crown jewel.
As the final lineup and gate postings have come in, the Kentucky Derby betting odds reflect all the heightened wagering action you’d expect for a sporting event of this magnitude. While the purse for the Derby is $2 million, the betting action on the 1.25-mile (10-furlong) race dwarfs that considerably. Turning an estimated global betting handle in the tens of billions of dollars, the Run for the Roses sets wagering records year after year, with this season’s race bound to follow that trend.
Newcomers and seasoned horseplayers alike are more interested than ever in the coronation of a potential new Triple Crown contender, and whether you wager in person at a simulcast horse racing facility or sign up at one of the top online racebooks to place your wagers (Bovada, SportsBetting, BetOnline, etc.), the “fastest two minutes in sports” is sure to kick off a month of excitement throughout the horse racing community and thrust the action into the mainstream sports consciousness.
When it comes to how to bet on the Kentucky Derby, your options are generally identical to those available for any other horse race. The difference, of course, is that the Kentucky Derby odds tend to come with higher betting limits at most legal online racebooks, simulcast sites, and Churchill Downs itself.
However, using an Internet-based solution is the wisest route, as online racebooks like Bovada, SportsBetting, BetOnline, BetDSI, and 5Dimes make it easy to shop around for the best Kentucky Derby odds and most profitable payouts. If you want to take advantage of the Kentucky Derby race lines and place some action at your racebook of choice, there are just a few things you need to do to get started:
1.) Click on one or more of the following links, which will take you to a reputable, trustworthy online racebook. (Bovada is our top recommendation, but it is not available to residents of DE, MD, NV, NJ, or NY.)
2.) Sign up to create a free account, which takes just a few minutes. (Remember that only one account per user is allowed under each racebook’s terms of service.)
3.) Once you’ve signed up, visit your racebook’s cashier service and choose the best funding method for your needs. (Cryptocurrencies offer the best values and timeframes for racebook deposits, but credit and debit options are also available.)hen Sign Up Is Complete, Proceed To The Cashier To Deposit Into Your Account. Choose The Funding Method Best For You
4.) With money in your racebook account, you can now visit your book’s odds boards for the Kentucky Derby (or any other race).nce You Have Funded Your Account, Click Into The Racebook And Select Which Race You Want To Wager On
5.) Simply enter the amount you wish to risk and confirm the wager to finalize your bet.ill In The Amount You Want To Wager And Confirm The Wager
6.) Sit back and watch those ponies run!
Betting on horses via an online racebook is very simple to do, and you can enjoy all the Kentucky Derby bet types – as well as book-specific Kentucky Derby props and futures – that you can possibly handle. And what a handle it is! Whether you want to place straight bets on Win, Place, and Show positions or wish to submit all kinds of parlays and exotic bets like Trifectas, Superfectas, and more, you’ll have every opportunity to do so no matter which top online racebook you choose.
Bovada is without a doubt America’s favorite online racebook for many reasons. It starts with the fact that they always set the standard for the types of Kentucky Derby bets you’re likely to see throughout the industry. Follow that up with the sheer number of props and exotic ways to bet on the Derby, especially in the days leading up to the event, and you've got a winner every time.
Even better, when you sign up with Bovada’s racebook service, they’ll give all first time depositors a 50% match bonus good for up to $250. And unlike other racebooks in the space, this bonus can be used to bet not only on more horse races than just the Kentucky Derby, but on just about any other sporting event at Bovada’s equally illustrious sportsbook.
Bovada makes depositing very simple, as they accept many forms of major credit and debit cards, including American Express. However, if you wish to fund your account with higher limits than those allowed for credit and debit transfers, Bovada also accepts Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. In fact, Bovada was the first major sportsbook to embrace cryptocurrency, and they continue to lead the industry with their generous crypto bonuses and payout plans.
Of course, Bovada's Racebook handles a lot more than just the Kentucky Derby. At Bovada, you will get access to bets for all three legs of the Triple Crown, and you’ll also get access to national and international horse races almost every day of the year. A single account at Bovada gives players access to the company’s racebook, sportsbook, online poker room, and online casino. Check out the Bovada Racebook today!
The 2018 Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, May 5, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. As the oldest organized sporting event in America, the Derby is entering its 144th consecutive year of action. Now, after seemingly endless speculation, the 2018 Kentucky Derby field is finally set, with each horse’s starting gate position officially published.
Early in the season, Bolt d’Oro was considered to be the favorite, and most sportsbooks (including Bovada) had him well ahead on the Derby futures leaderboard. However, Justify – a colt trained by the famed Bob Baffert – defeated Bolt d’Oro in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby just a month out from the Run for the Roses, sending him to the top of the odds boards from literally out of nowhere.
Going into the 2018 Kentucky Derby on May 5, both Justify (+325) and Bolt d’Oro (+800) have received favorable gate draws (7 and 11, respectively, which is probably how you should pick your Derby exacta bet because online racebook action is just so convenient!), though it’s unlikely that Justify will beat his rival by three lengths this time around.
That said, there are other major horses running in the 144th Kentucky Derby, including Mendelssohn (Gate 14, +500), Audible (Gate 5, +700), and Magnum Moon (Gate 16, +700), all of whom are considered contenders to take the first leg of the Triple Crown.
On the flip side, two late scratches in longshots Gronkowski (flu-like symptoms) and Quip (owner decision) have been replaced by the equally overmatched Instilled Regard (Gate 15, +5000) and Combatant (Gate 20, +6000). While these ponies are unlikely to lead the pack down the stretch, horses with longer odds have won the Kentucky Derby before, so nothing is unprecedented when it comes to the biggest horse race on earth.
The current Kentucky Derby betting odds are live at most of the top online sportsbooks, with Bovada leading the way as usual. At the Bovada racebook, the odds have been updated to reflect each of the 20 horses’ starting positions, with the full-capacity gate taking the following order:
1. Firenze Fire - +7500
2. Free Drop Billy - +3500
3. Promises Fulfilled - +4500
4. Flameaway - +4000
5. Audible - +700
6. Good Magic - +900
7. Justify - +325
8. Lone Sailor - +5000
9. Hofburg - +1400
10. My Boy Jack - +2800
11. Bolt d’Oro - +800
12. Enticed - +2500
13. Bravazo - +6000
14. Mendelssohn - +500
15. Instilled Regard - +5000
16. Magnum Moon - +700
17. Solomini - +2500
18. Vino Rosso - +1200
19. Noble Indy - +3000
20. Combatant - +6000
On the Friday before the Kentucky Derby’s Saturday afternoon running, the Kentucky Oaks is held. This race, limited to three-year-old fillies, has a $1 million purse, with the winner claiming $600,000 and the traditional garland of lilies, which fans lovingly call the “Lillies for the Fillies” (after the Kentucky Derby’s rose garland that led to its “Run for the Roses” moniker).
Like the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks was first held in 1875, and the course is similarly 10 furlongs in length (1.25 miles). The odds for the 2018 Kentucky Oaks’ 14-horse field are currently posted at Bovada, organized by gate number:
1. Sassy Sienna - +2000
2. Coach Rocks - +1100
3. Classy Act - +2000
4. Chocolate Martini - +1800
5. Wonder Gadot - +2200
6. Kelly’s Humor - +4000
7. Rayya - +950
8. Heavenhasmynikki - +3300
9. Take Charge Paula - +1400
10. Midnight Bisou - +190
11. My Miss Lilly - +1000
12. Patrona Margarita - +5500
13. Eskimo Kisses - +11400
14. Monomoy Girl - +230
I’ll Have Another is the front runner for Belmont this weekend, and will be regardless of his competition. None-the-less, he’ll have another (pun intended) horse to beat now that My Adonis has entered the field, bringing the tally to 12 colts overall. Ramon Dominguez is expected to be the jockey for Saturday’s race along the 1 ½-mile track.
New York racing officials seem to be a lot more pro-active about doping than Major League Baseball ever was. Or any sport for that matter. With I’ll Have Another trainer Doug O’Niell recently sentenced for allowing his horse to have too much carbon dioxide, the state is already taking steps to prevent anything from happening again.
I’ll Have Another came from behind once again to capture the Preakness Stakes this weekend, but he won’t be sneaking up on anyone at Belmont. In the third leg of the Triple Crown, the 3-year old colt is a 3-to-1 favorite to win Belmont on June 9 and become the first horse since 1978 to win horse racing’s most elusive prize.
The 137th annual Preakness Stakes is coming fast and there’s not much time left to get your bets in on I’ll Have Another to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.
