Kentucky Derby Odds 2024: Bet on Kentucky Derby Online
By: Ryan Hagen | Last updated: Apr. 12, 2024
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While the Kentucky Derby itself lasts a mere two minutes, more than $200 million in Kentucky Derby bets rain down each year on the horses competing for the fastest one-and-one-quarter mile. The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place May 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
Here’s how to bet on "the most exciting two minutes in sports" via Kentucky Derby odds at legal online betting sites.
2024 Kentucky Derby Odds
The official morning line odds for the 2024 Kentucky Derby will not be posted until Derby week, but the final Kentucky Derby futures pool morning line odds are here:
| Horse | Trainer | Odds |
| Be You | Todd Pletcher | 90-1 |
| Catalytic | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 50-1 |
| Catching Freedom | Brad Cox | 8-1 |
| Common Defense | Kenneth McPeek | 80-1 |
| Deterministic | Christophe Clement | 15-1 |
| Domestic Product | Chad Brown | 40-1 |
| Dornoch | Danny Gargan | 12-1 |
| El Grande O | Linda Rice | 50-1 |
| Encino | Brad Cox | 50-1 |
| Endlessly | Michael McCarthy | 40-1 |
| Epic Ride | John Ennis | 60-1 |
| Evening News | Michael Pino | 99-1 |
| Fierceness | Todd Pletcher | 7-2 |
| Forever Young | Yoshito Yahagi | 10-1 |
| Good Money | Chad Brown | 90-1 |
| Grand Mo The First | Victor Barboza Jr. | 99-1 |
| Hades | Joseph Orseno | 50-1 |
| Honor Marie | Whitworth Beckman | 20-1 |
| Just A Touch | Brad Cox | 30-1 |
| Just Steel | D. Wayne Lukas | 25-1 |
| Lat Long | Kenneth McPeek | 90-1 |
| Mc Vay | John Shirreffs | 99-1 |
| Merit | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 99-1 |
| Mystik Dan | Kenneth McPeek | 30-1 |
| No More Time | Jose D'angelo | 90-1 |
| Resilience | William Mott | 99-1 |
| Seize The Grey | D. Wayne Lukas | 50-1 |
| Sierra Leone | Chad Brown | 6-1 |
| Society Man | Danny Gargan | 99-1 |
| Stronghold | Philip Damato | 60-1 |
| T O Password | Daisuke Takayanagi | 60-1 |
| Tapalo | John Sadler | 90-1 |
| Tessuto | George Papaprodromou | 99-1 |
| Top Conor | Chad Brown | 80-1 |
| Track Phantom | Steven Asmussen | 30-1 |
| Tuscan Sky | Todd Pletcher | 30-1 |
| Uncle Heavy | Robert Reid Jr. | 50-1 |
| West Saratoga | Larry Demeritte | 60-1 |
| All Other Three Year Olds | 30-1 |
Best betting sites for Kentucky Derby
Check out the top legal US betting apps offering wagers for the Kentucky Derby.
TVG/FanDuel Racing
FanDuel owns TVG and is an official betting partner of all three Triple Crown races: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
In December 2022, FanDuel announced that its customers can now bet on traditional sports and horse racing through one FanDuel Sportsbook account, making it the first US sportsbook to offer it.
As the world's leading horse race betting network, you can watch and bet on live horse races from hundreds of tracks across the globe. TVG also provides complete race information and statistics for the races you want to bet on, including the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Kentucky Derby Bonus offer: Claim your FanDuel Racing sign-up bonus here
Platforms: Desktop, iOS, Android
States available: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey (under 4NJBets), New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
BetMGM Horse Racing
BetMGM is partnered with NYRA Bets and offers bets on over 200 tracks worldwide. The BetMGM horse racing app is packed with features, including streaming, race recaps, and daily updated horse racing information.
Bonus offer: 100% deposit match up to $200
Platforms: Desktop, iOS, Android
States available: Louisiana, Florida, Ohio.
Caesars Racebook
Caesars Sportsbook has recently partnered with NYRA Bets to launch a mobile betting app for horse racing. The app is available on iOS and Android and can access over 300 tracks, including international races.
Bonus offer: Up to $250 deposit match for new users.
Platforms: Desktop, iOS, Android.
States available: Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
DK Horse
DraftKings has released a horse racing product that operates independently of its regular sportsbook. Current DraftKings Sportsbook customers must sign up for a separate account at DK Horse and deposit funds.
Bonus offer: Bet $50, Get $50.
Platforms: Desktop, (iOS and Android TBD).
States available: Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
How to sign up for a betting account
Click on any of the sportsbook links on this page to get started. Once you reach the betting site, you’ll be asked to fill out standard personal information that includes the following:
- Name
- State
- Date of Birth
- Phone number
- Password
Ensure that any sportsbook promo code information is filled out when registering. Sometimes this will be populated automatically. Once verified, you can make a deposit and place a wager. Customers must be in a legal betting state to make a bet.
Related: Best Kentucky sportsbook promos
More on Kentucky Derby betting:
- Understanding Kentucky Derby odds
- Types of Kentucky Derby bets
- 5 Essential Kentucky Derby betting tips
- Kentucky Derby 2022 results
- Past 10 Kentucky Derby winners
Understanding Kentucky Derby odds
These three things are crucial to understanding horse racing odds:
1. Pari-mutuel or pool betting
Just like the track itself, online horse wagering is pari-mutuel betting. This means all the money that people bet goes into a pool, and the odds depend on that number and the number of winning bets.
Favorites pay less because so many people bet on the favorite, dividing the pool between a bigger number of potential winners.
2. Odds aren’t fixed until the Derby starts
The morning odds you see on a racing form are just an estimate that tells you which horses experts think are the favorites. The odds that winning Kentucky Derby bets actually use are calculated after all the bets are in and the race is starting, otherwise known as post time.
3. Fractional odds
Online horse race wagering networks use fractional odds as the default format. For example, Rich Strike was 80/1 to win the 2022 Kentucky Derby.
The left side of the fraction tells you how much you win and the right side represents the amount you would have had to bet to win it. In other words, at 80/1, Rich Strike paid approximately $80 for every $1 bet.
You may also see a dollar figure for win, place, and show bets. This generally tells you how much you would win for every $2 you bet correctly. For example, Rich Strike paid $163.60 to win, $74.20 to place, and $29.40 to show.
Types of Kentucky Derby bets
Betting on the Kentucky Derby works a little differently than traditional sports betting odds. Horse racing uses pari-mutuel odds. This means the odds are based on what the public is betting.
The horse with the most public money on it will become the favorite, while the horse with the least will be the underdog.
From simple bets to exotics, here’s what you can bet on at the Kentucky Derby:
Straight wager
There are plenty of ways to wager on the Derby, but we’ll start with the most basic, a straight wager. A straight wager is when you bet on a horse to win, place, or show.
- Win: As you might expect, this is a bet on a horse to win the Kentucky Derby. Minimum bets range from $1 to $2. If your horse wins, you receive a payout based on the odds. If your horse doesn’t win, you win nothing.
- Place: This is a bet on a horse to either win or finish second. Minimum bets here also range from $1 to $2.
- Show: This is a bet on a horse to take first, second or third place. Same as a win or place bet, you can generally place a show bet for as little as $1 or $2.
- Across the board: This is actually three bets on a horse to win, place or show in the Kentucky Derby. If your horse takes one of the first three places, you get paid at the win, place or show odds, depending on where it finishes. You lay out a little more here, but get paid at the best odds available for a win or second-place finish compared to a standard show bet.
Kentucky Derby exotic bets
Exotics are where you combine different horses and finishing orders in the Kentucky Derby into a single bet or group of bets to earn bigger returns. The more precise, the more you might win. Odds still depend on the total amount that people bet and the number of winning bets.
Vertical Exotic bets
Vertical exotics are when you bet on multiple horses to finish in the correct order. For the Kentucky Derby, you can place a bet on the following vertical exotics:
- Exacta: You pick a horse to win the Kentucky Derby and another to finish second, and you win only if the two horses that you picked finish first and second in that exact order. You can also box this bet, which is essentially doubling the bet and picking the same two horses in either order.
- Trifecta: The trifecta is where you pick a horse to win the race, another to finish second and another to finish third. You can also box this bet, which is essentially betting the same three horses in every possible combination of the top three places.
- Superfecta: Similar to the above two options, but this time you are picking four horses to finish first through fourth in the correct order. You can also box this bet, which is essentially betting the same four horses in every possible combination for the top four places.
Box exacta, box trifecta and box superfecta
As we said above, you can box these exotics, covering every possible combination of finishing orders for the same horses in your exacta, trifecta, or superfecta with additional bets. Here’s a look:
| Box exacta | Two bets | 1st Horse A, 2nd Horse B 1st Horse B, 2nd Horse A |
| Box trifecta | Six bets | 1st Horse A, 2nd Horse B, 3rd Horse C 1st Horse A, 2nd Horse C, 3rd Horse B 1st Horse B, 2nd Horse C, 3rd Horse A 1st Horse B, 2nd Horse A, 3rd Horse C 1st Horse C, 2nd Horse A, 3rd Horse B 1st Horse C, 2nd Horse B, 3rd Horse A |
| Box superfecta | 24 bets | You get the point! |
Horizontal exotic bets
The Kentucky Derby is the day's main event, but there are other races on the card as well. Horizontal exotics are when you bet on horses across different races. Here are the typical bets offered.
- Daily Double
- Pick 3
- Pick 4
- Pick 5
- Pick 6
For the above, you’ll need to pick the winner across two to six races, depending on your chosen option. While it can be challenging to pick multiple winners, the minimum wagers for these types of bets are typically quite small.
5 Essential Kentucky Derby betting tips
Every Kentucky Derby is different as the race consists of 3-year-old horses only. However, specific trends have developed over the years that it can help to keep in mind:
- Favorites have won six of the last 10 editions
Rich Strike was an 80/1 longshot winner in 2022, but the favorite won six straight Kentucky Derby races from 2013 to 2018, making it six of the past 10 for the favorite.
2. Seven of the last 10 winners had at least 100 prep race points
For the past decade, the Kentucky Derby has held Kentucky Derby Prep Races, giving 3-year-old horses the chance to qualify for the Derby. The winners earn prep race points. No fewer than seven of the past 10 Kentucky Derby winners had 100 prep race points or more.
3. Nine of the last 12 Kentucky Derby winners won their previous race
Only three of the past 12 Kentucky Derby winners failed to win their race before the Derby — Rich Strike in 2022, Mandaloun in 2021 and Country House in 2019.
4. Six of the last 15 winners had raced five times or fewer
Six of the past 15 Kentucky Derby winners raced five times or fewer heading into the Derby. Experience is a factor, but perhaps not as big a factor as some think.
5. Seven of the last 12 winners were unbeaten as 3-year-olds
More than half of the past 12 Kentucky Derby winners had not lost a race as a 3-year-old heading into the Derby. Undefeated horses are quite often the favorites, which is why six of the past 10 favorites have won, as well.
Kentucky Derby 2023 results
| Number | Horse | Win | Place | Show |
| 8 | Mage (15-1) | $32.42 | $14.58 | $9.08 |
| 3 | Two Phil's (12-1) | $10.44 | $6.52 | |
| 14 | Angel of Empire (8-1) | $4.70 |
Previous 10 Kentucky Derby winners
Jockeys and trainers can influence who wins the Kentucky Derby. Here’s a look at the riders and trainers of the Derby winners over the past decade:
| Year | Horse | Time | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2023 | Mage | 2:01.57 | Javier Castellano | Gustavo Delgado |
| 2022 | Rich Strike | 2:02.61 | Sonny Leon | Eric Reed |
| 2021 | Mandaloun | 2:01.02 | John Velazquez | Brad Cox |
| 2020 | Authentic | 2:00.61 | John Velazquez | Bob Baffert |
| 2019 | Country House | 2:03.98 | Flavien Prat | Bill Mott |
| 2018 | Justify | 2:04.20 | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming | 2:03.59 | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
| 2016 | Nyquist | 2:01:31 | Mario Gutierrez | Doug O'Neill |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | 2:03.02 | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 2014 | California Chrome | 2:03.66 | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman |
Kentucky Derby Betting FAQs
What year did the Kentucky Derby start?
The Kentucky Derby’s inaugural race was in 1875. It has been run uninterrupted since then, including a 2020 rescheduling to September due to COVID-19.
How long is the track?
The Kentucky Derby track is one and one-quarter miles (2 km). It was originally one and one-half miles before changing lengths in 1896.
How are the horses picked?
Three-year-old Thoroughbreds compete in a series of races called The Road to the Kentucky Derby. Points are earned for the top four spots of each race, and the top 20 horses earn spots at Churchill Downs.
Which horse was the biggest ‘long shot’ to ever win?
- 91 to 1 - Donerail (1913)
- 80 to 1 - Rich Strike (2022)
What is the fastest a Kentucky Derby was ever run?
- Mile and a Quarter: 1:59.4 – Secretariat (1973)
- Mile and a Half: 2:34.5 – Spokane (1889)
What is the Kentucky Derby Purse?
- $3 million
- $1.86 million to the winner
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Ryan Hagen is a sportswriter and betting enthusiast based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. A journalism and communications graduate, he parlayed his love of sports, gambling and writing into an iGaming career where he can enjoy all of these things. From spreads to moneylines or props to parlays, there’s rarely a bet he can’t make a case for. Hagen cheers for all the wrong teams, loves to travel and tries really hard at golf.
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