The Kentucky Derby is the first horse race in the Triple Crown calendar. It’s also one of the most popular events for spectators and punters around the world. On this page, we’ll provide essential information about the sprint at Churchill Downs! Learn the specifics of Kentucky Derby betting and the best online platforms. 

Our team has prepared some interesting historical facts about the race initially inaugurated almost 150 years ago. We’ll also explain the Kentucky Derby betting odds and some interesting features that online bookies offer. The best of them come with really fantastic bonus deals, cashout, and live streaming of the horse races. 

Here are our picks for the best online betting site for Kentucky Derby: 

  • William Hill 
  • BetFred 
  • Bet365 
  • PaddyPower 
  • Unibet. 

These bookmakers boast excellent reputation and have the required licences to operate. You’ll find great offers and competitive odds on all major horse races. Discover more about the most famous thoroughbred champions.

The Kentucky Derby Betting Offers

These days it’s really easy to place a bet on the Kentucky Derby. You only need access to the Internet and an active account at one of the top online bookmakers. In the days before “The Run for the Roses”, you’ll find exciting bonus offers, allowing you to bet bigger or boost your potential profits. 

However, you’ll need to spend some time and effort to find the top Kentucky Derby betting offers! Our advice is to pay attention to the details and not only to the size of the promotion. Most bookies will grant you a freebie once you make a real-money wager of a minimum amount. 

Before making your bet Kentucky Derby online make sure that the platform supports live streaming and the operator allows Cashout. The race may not develop in the way you thought, and insurance would be useful.

The Kentucky Derby Betting Odds 

As expected, the greatest Kentucky Derby betting odds can be found on the best online platforms. Bookmakers have been facing massive competition in recent years, and only well-established ones can offer really good deals. Sometimes inexperienced punters find it difficult to understand the Kentucky Derby odds and make the correct decision. 

In fact, it’s the same with the coefficients and payouts of all horse races. For example, the GN odds of 10/1 means that you’ll get £10 for every £1 wagered. This may look delightful, but if we transform the odds into probability, we’ll see that the chance for our horse to win is 9.1%. 

The Grand National at Aintree Racecourse is just an example of how things go. The average Kentucky Derby horse racing odds for the favourite are usually around 25% (3/1). The other horses in good shape are usually valued at around 22.2% and 11.1%. Check several sites before placing your wager! 

How to Bet on The Kentucky Derby

Besides competitive odds and brilliant bonuses, the top Kentucky Derby betting sites accept lots of different types of bets. In addition to the standard wagers, like Win, Place, and Show Bet, punters will find some more exotic options as well. Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, and Super High 5 are popular single-race exotics. 

The best Kentucky Derby betting sites also offer multi-race exotic wagers, allowing you to pick from 2 to 6 horses. These bets are tricky, and we do not recommend them to novice punters. Luckily, the most prominent bookmakers provide various guides on how to place the optimal wage and not lose yourself. 

Here are the main steps every bettor needs to take to bet online on Kentucky Derby: 

  • Create an account on a licensed horse betting platform; 
  • Verify your identity and get acquainted with the available odds; 
  • Pick a favourite and decide what type of wager to make; 
  • Enter the stake amount and confirm the bet. 

Historical Info and Interesting Facts about The Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby, or the “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, is a Grade I thoroughbred horse race inaugurated on the 17th of May, 1875. The current sponsor of the run is the Kentucky bourbon distillery Woodford Reserve. Although it’s an American horse race, there are many Kentucky Derby betting UK sites. 

The sprint is held annually at Churchill Downs – the legendary track in Louisville, KY, over a distance of 10 furlongs. The track is left-handed, and the surface is dirt, and in 2019 the purse was increased to $3 million. The first five teams get paid, with the winner taking the lion’s share – $1.86 million. 

The Kentucky Derby is a race for three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies. The weight requirements are 126 and 121 pounds, respectively. The track record is from 1973 when Secretariat stopped the chronometers at 1:59.40. Another record for eternity is 2:34.50 of Spokane from 1889 when the course was 12 furlongs. 

Although the historical facts are not directly connected to the Kentucky Derby betting, it would be useful to you to know some of them. Over the years, this almost mythical horse sprint has become a criterion for the endurance, spirit and fearlessness of the best thoroughbred horses. So, let’s see how it all began! 

Kentucky Derby Establishment 

Driven by his passion for horse racing, in 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. travelled to England and France successively. He visited the Epsom Derby in Surrey and Longchamp’s Grand Prix de Paris. Both races were the most popular at the time, held annually since 1780 and 1863, respectively. 

Upon return to Kentucky, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. established the Louisville Jockey Club, following the example of the French Jockey Club. The purpose of the venture was to collect funds sufficient for the construction of a quality track outside Louisville. The brothers, John and Henry Churchill, provided the land! 

The racetrack was named after them – Churchill Downs and the sprint was initially over 12 furlongs, matching the Epsom Derby distance. In 1896, twenty-one years later, it was shortened to 10 furlongs as it is today! The first race was on the 17th of May, and around 10,000 people witnessed the win of Aristides. 

Oliver Lewis rode the American thoroughbred, and the trainer was Ansel Williamson – a future member of the Hall of Fame. The Kentucky Derby gambling issues related to a horseman boycott were the reason for the race to remain out of the spotlight until 1902. The facility was then acquired by a Col. Matt Winn syndicate. 

Triple Crown 

The term was first used in 1930 by the sports writer and journalist Charles Hatton to describe the three consecutive American flat races with the biggest purses. After the Kentucky Derby, many of the successful horses were sent to compete in Baltimore and Elmont, NY, where Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes were held annually. 

The first ever horse to win them all in the same season was the American-bred champion, Sir Barton, in 1919. However, “Triple Crown” was mentioned by Hatton after the second win in 1930 by Gallant Fox. So far, 11 more horses have triumphed, and six to 1948 – Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, Citation. 

After Citation’s title in 1948, fans had to wait 25 years to see another Triple Crown win. In 1973, the thoroughbred champion Secretariat came from nowhere, breaking all possible records and winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Under jockey Ron Turcotte, it set new best times on all tracks. 

Moreover, Secretariat won at Belmont Park 31 lengths clear and engraved its name forever in golden letters. Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown in 1973, followed by Affirmed in 1978, American Pharoah in 2015, and Justify in 2018. Nowadays, the Kentucky Derby is the first run in the Triple Crown’s calendar. 

Kentucky Derby Festival 

On the other hand, the 10-furlong sprint puts the end of the two-week festival in Louisville, KY. It’s the biggest and most attended single annual event in the state and was first organised in 1935. The Kentucky Derby Festival was held in the following couple of years and then stopped to be restored in 1956. 

Until today, the event wasn’t stopped, except for the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020. The Kentucky Derby horse betting event is last, but the rest is no less attractive! Many locals and guests of the city also come for the Thunder Over Louisville – the most spectacular fireworks display in the state and North America! 

The Great Balloon Race, the Great Steamboat Race, and the Pegasus parade are other reasons to visit the festival. Many outdoor sports activities are also part of the event, including the Basketball Classic, Marathon and Mini-Marathon. However, the cherry on the cake is the Kentucky Derby, with an attendance of 147,000 in 2022! 

Biggest Winners of the Kentucky Derby 

As of 2022, no horse has doubled its win in the Kentucky Derby, despite the dominance of some stallions, like War Admiral, Secretariat, and Northern Dancer. However, there are jockeys with more than one triumph, and Eddie Arcaro shares the record in that regard with Bill Hartack. Both have five on their belts! 

Eddie Arcaro won the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 1938 and for the last in 1962. But he never did that for two or more consecutive years, just like Bill Hartack, who triumphed in 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, and 1969. Arcaro rode Lawrin, Whirlaway, Hoop Jr., Citation, and Hill Gail. 

To win “The Run for the Roses”, Bill Hartack teamed up with Iron Liege, Venetian Way, Decidedly, Northern Dancer, and Majestic Prince. Eddie Arcaro also won six times in the Preakness and Belmont stake races. However, no jockey has ever made it to six Kentucky Derby wins, but two trainers did. 

Ben A. Jones, between 1938 and 1952, and Bob Baffert from 1992 to 2020. At the same time, Calumet Farm is the owner with the most titles – eight in the 1941 – 1968 period. Although the horses seem to lose stamina after winning the Derby, there are a few of them that have some pretty awesome achievements. 

The Horses 

Let’s start with Donerail, the American thoroughbred racehorse with 10 wins out of 62 races. It was a really long shot in 1913 to win at Churchill Downs with odds of 91 to 1. Even so, it outpaced Ten Points with a half length and set a new record time – 2:04. 

And if you think that Donerail’s triumph isn’t possible today, think twice. Rich Strike and jockey Sonny Leon won the 2022 Kentucky Derby. They started as an underdog with 80 to 1 but finished three-fourths of a length clear of Epicenter to take the roses. It was only the second win in Rich Strike’s career. 

Secretariat is also a legendary Kentucky Derby champion, with a record still unbeaten 49 years after it has been set. It ran the 99th sprint and became the first horse to finish under two minutes – 1:59:40. Moreover, Secretariat took the Triple Crown in 1973, with active records at Belmont Park and Pimlico Racecourse. 

Affirmed won the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown in 1978 in a magnificent rivalry with Alydar, who finished at a neck in all three sprints. Affirmed finished its career with 22 wins out of 29 races and was the last horse to win the Triple Crown for the next 37 years. 

Seattle Slew is the 10th Triple Crown champion, who triumphed the year before Affirmed. However, it did it with no defeats in its career so far! A truly impressive record, though it was unable to hold it to its retirement. Seattle Slew finished fourth less than a month after the Belmont Park triumph. 

Regret, Genuine Risk, and Winning Colors are the only fillies to win the Kentucky Derby as of for now. They did that in 1915, 1980, and 1988 respectively. Their achievement is so important due to the massive effort needed to win the roses. The short-distance track favours the much stronger colts. 

Spectacular Bid was a truly fantastic American thoroughbred sprinter trained by the Hall of Famer Bud Delp. It took the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 1979 as a three-year-old and became a champion in its first season. The jockey in Kentucky was Ronnie Franklin, who had never competed for the roses before. 

Monarchos won just four of the 10 races it rushed for, but the Kentucky Derby was one of them. Furthermore, in 2001 its track time was the second best in history after Secretariat’s record. Monarchos is also the only other horse to go under the psychological barrier of two minutes – 1:59:97. 

California Chrome, or the “People’s Horse”, is in our listing because of the massive colt’s popularity. It won the Derby in 2014, with one of the slowest times – 2:03:66. During the same year, California Chrome also won the Preakness Stakes and the Dubai World Cup in 2016. 

Smarty Jones and Stewart Elliott repeated the achievements of the colt Seattle Slew from 1977 and jockey Ronnie Franklin from 1979. Ronnie became the second rider to win the Kentucky Derby in its race debut. Smarty Jones, on the other hand, became the second horse to win at Churchill Downs with no previous defeats. 

American Pharoah took the Triple Crown title in 2015, but another fact is more impressive. In the Kentucky Derby, the horse registered a faster time in the closing two furlongs than Secretariat did in 1973. American Pharaoh is also the first Grand Slam champion and won the “American Horse of the Year” award. 

Going back in history, we must mention War Admiral, who triumphed in the Kentucky Derby and the other Triple Crown races in 1937. Sired by the notorious sire of sires Man o’ War, War Admiral finished its career with 21 wins. It was also the US leading sire (1945) and broodmare sire (1962 & 1964). 

Curious Facts About the Kentucky Derby 

Many interesting stories related to the Derby have happened during its 147-year history. We’ll try to keep up with the most intriguing ones only, like the fact that only two horses managed to break the two-minute barrier – Secretariat and Monarchos. That’s funny because of the “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” nickname. 

The Twin Spires that make Churchill Downs architecture unique is an element developed by Joseph Dominic Baldez. The iconic grandstand was added in 1894 to complete the design and make the track stand out. The two hexagonal spires are the extra touch that makes the facility so attractive to tourists from around the world. 

“Run for the Roses” is a nickname given by the sports writer Bill Corum many years after the Kentucky Derby was inaugurated. However, a white and pink roses garland was given to the winner Ben Brush in 1896. Six years later, the red rose became the symbol and the official flower of the race. 

Since then, a garland of more than 400 gorgeous red roses arrives at Churchill Downs every year on the day before the Derby. They are sewn on green satin backing, with an average weight of 40 pounds. People will easily notice the “Crown” rose in the middle, symbolising the heart and effort needed to win. 

Getting to the Winner’s Circle is also worth the struggle because of the trophy and money prize. The Gold Cup is actually made of gold, 14k to be precise and sits on a base of jade. It was first presented in 1875 and was commissioned in 1924. Special jewelled embellishments are added for anniversaries. 

Since 1946, the Kentucky Derby has always been held on the Saturday in the first week of May. The order of the Triple Crown races has never been changed since 1931, with the Derby first followed by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes run last. But before that year, the schedule was quite different! 

Eleven times the Preakness Stakes was run before the Kentucky Derby, and eleven times the Belmont Stakes was before the Preakness. In 1922, the sprints at Pimlico Racecourse and Churchill Downs were on the same day – the 13th of May. In 2020, the Belmont Park race was held first due to delays caused by the pandemic. 

The Kentucky Oaks was also established by the Derby founder Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. The premier race is for three-year-old fillies only and was held for the first time a couple of days after the initial Kentucky Derby in 1875. “Lillies for the fillies” means that the winner gets a garland made of lilies. 

The Kentucky Oaks is also held at Churchill Downs, and the purse is $1.25 million. Spectators are asked to wear pink in order to increase awareness of breast and ovarian cancers and other issues with women’s health. The distance has been changed several times, and it’s nine furlongs as of today. 

Another interesting fact about the Kentucky Derby is the field size. While most races have an average of 8 horses competing against each other, here, the number is 20. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Derby will be cancelled if there are no 20 qualifying colts and fillies. In 1892 only three horses raced! 

During the weekend races in Kentucky – The Derby and The Oaks, an average of 120,000 Mint Julep cocktails are sold. It’s the drink of choice instead of beer as we have used to see in other sports competitions. In addition, in 2022, the organisers sold over 5.5 tons of food at Churchill Downs. 

But the Derby sets many other records, too! In 2015, punters waged over $194 million in pari-mutuel and off-track bets. In 2022, another record was broken as only the on-track wagering exceeded $179 million. With the online bookies offering better and better products, the expectations are the number to break the $200-million barrier in 2023. 

The attendance from the grandstand is also impressive as the spectators were around 147,000 in 2022, closing the 2015 record of 170,000. However, the numbers show a new record of over 16 million online and TV viewers around the world. Most bookmaker sites offer the live streaming service for free! 

But if you decide to visit Louisville and attend the race, remember that fashion is quite important at the Kentucky Derby. Race was meant to be for elite society only back in the days. Clark was willing to bring the high class of the European horse races to American soil. 

Only well-dressed folks were allowed to attend in the late 1800s and early 1900s, wearing full morning outfits. Today, the “Run for the Roses” is known for the extravagant hats women wear. They started to do so after 1960, when the dress code became more casual. 

Glossary: Know Your The Kentucky Derby Jargon

When it comes to horse racing and the Kentucky Derby in particular, there are many terms that may look a little awkward in the beginning. Some are related to horses, others to jockeys, and third to placing wagers. Here are some common phrases used in relation to the “Run for the Roses”: 

  • Across the Board – a three-way wager, including Win Bet, Place Bet, and Show Bet. If your horse finished first, second, or third, you’d get paid; 
  • At the Post – when the racehorses reach the final gate before the start of the Kentucky Derby; 
  • Blinkers – eye cups that keep the horse from distractions. They are usually made of leather and are part of the standard racing equipment; 
  • By a Neck – a short distance between finishing horses when one if only by a neck ahead of the other; 
  • Churchill Downs – the racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, where the Kentucky Derby is annually held; 
  • Colt – a male thoroughbred racehorse. Colts are allowed to participate in the Kentucky Derby if meet the qualification weight of 126 pounds; 
  • Exacta – a type of bet allowing you to win big if you guess right the first and the second horse in the exact order; 
  • Filly – a female thoroughbred racehorse. The qualifying weight for them to take part in the Kentucky Derby is 121 pounds; 
  • Flatten Out – a sign of exhaustion. When a racehorse drops its head in line with its body; 
  • Front-Runner – a colt or a filly which prefers to lead the race for as much as it can. It can be at the head of the group or close to it; 
  • Furlong – a measure for a distance slightly exceeding 200 metres. The Kentucky Derby is a flat race over 10 furlongs; 
  • Gelding – a male horse that has been castrated. Although geldings can run at the Derby, they are used for jump races more often; 
  • Length – a measure of distance in horse racing. One horse’s length is usually around 8 feet or 244 centimetres. The measure is used to show the distance between horses while racing; 
  • Morning Glory – a racehorse with a solid performance in the morning workouts, but who fails during the actual race; 
  • Neck-to-neck – two or more horses running almost together and heavily competing. In such cases, video replay technology is often used to determine the winner; 
  • Purse – the winning pool or all the money that will be awarded to the first five horses that finished the race. The Kentucky Derby winner gets $1.86 out of a $3 million purse; 
  • Stretch – the final straight part of the track where the horse sprint for the win. At Churchill Downs it is nearly 1.9 furlongs; 
  • Superfecta – a type of bet, which pays massively if you guess the exact finishing order of the first, second, third, and fourth horse; 
  • Trifecta – a type of horse racing wager. Punters win if they manage to predict the exact order of the first three horses; 
  • Triple Crown – a series of thoroughbred horse races in the United States that start with the Kentucky Derby. The contenders must also win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. 

FAQs

  • Where can you bet on The Kentucky Derby? 

There are many Kentucky Derby online betting sites accepting wagers before and during race day. Most of them offer fair odds and a wide variety of wagers, including straight bets, Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta. Always look for the top Kentucky Derby betting offers provided by world-renowned bookmakers like William Hill, PaddyPower and Bet365. 

  • Which is the best betting site for The Kentucky Derby? 

Nowadays, punters can easily find numerous Kentucky Derby betting platforms to place their wagers on. Prominent bookmakers like BetFred and Bet365 offer really great terms and bonuses. However, you’ll need to do deep research to find the best site to bet on Kentucky Derby. Check our top picks in that regard! 

  • How do I place a bet on The Kentucky Derby? 

First, you need to find the best Kentucky Derby betting odds. Scan the top online bookmakers and make a registration on the platform, offering the fairest conditions. Pick a wager type (Win, Place, Exacta, etc.), insert the betting amount, and confirm the wager. Changes are usually possible until the last minute!