The 151st Kentucky Derby is less than two weeks away. But trying to predict anything about America’s most famous horse race at this point is a lot like trying to predict the weather in Louisville during the first week in May. Anything can happen.
One thing that I feel confident in predicting is the 1-1/4 mile race will draw record betting interest. Last year’s milestone 150th Run for the Roses attracted $210.7 million in wagers, marking the first time the race itself exceeded a handle of $200 million.
What’s next for the Derby handle? Reaching a quarter-billion for the race itself might be asking too much, but a total of $225 million or more is in play. That would continue making Kentucky Derby odds one of America’s most popular betting events.
What We Know About Kentucky Derby 151
It’s expected that a field of 20 horses will take to the track on the evening of May 3, and we’ll know the post positions for those horses after this Saturday’s post position draw. That draw might impact morning-line odds, though Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism is expected to be early favorite.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, the son of Curlin has won his last four races, with the past three being graded stakes. His pedigree and talent suggest he’ll be the morning-line Kentucky sports betting favorite, barring something like him drawing either the No. 1 gate or a position on the far outside. Even that might not take him from the spot.
Among Journalism’s rivals for the Derby will be Sandman, who won the Arkansas Derby by 2-1/2 lengths for trainer Mark Casse. It was the son of Curlin’s first graded stakes victory, although he has finished in the money in three other stakes races.
Another contender is likely to be Rodriguez, who will also represent Bob Baffert’s return to Churchill Downs after the trainer was banned because of Medina Spirit’s disqualification as the 2021 Derby winner. Sired by 2020 Derby winner Authentic, another Baffert-trained horse, Rodriguez went wire-to-wire in the Wood Memorial this month. Unless there’s a speed horse in the field who can wear him down, Rodriguez can take the lead early in the Derby and not look back, making him an interesting prospect for Kentucky sportsbook apps customers.
What To Know About Kentucky Derby Betting
If you’re new to horse racing, then you need to know that betting on the ponies differs from sports betting in a couple significant ways.
First, horse racing is parimutuel. That means odds are set based on the amount of money that has been wagered on a horse. It also means that odds are subject to change at any time leading up to the race. Unlike the fixed odds of sports betting from operators offering real money Kentucky promos, your bet is not locked in at the odds at the time of your wager. Your horse could be 6-1 when you make your bet but 3-1 when he breaks from the starting gate.
Another difference is that the apps to bet on the Derby or any other horse race are different than the sports betting apps licensed in Kentucky or other states. Apps like TwinSpires and NYRABets offer horse racing. FanDuel Kentucky Sportsbook and DraftKings also offer their own racing wagering apps.
However, only FanDuel’s currently has a single wallet allowing its users to use funds from their FanDuel sports betting account and wager directly on horse racing. Other apps will require separate deposits.
For more information about the Kentucky Derby, be sure to check out our page about Kentucky horse betting apps at BetKentucky.com to help you get ready for the big race.
USA Today Network photo by Scott Utterback/Courier Journal
