How to Bet the 2023 Kentucky Derby – Where to Make a Bet, What Time Does the Race Start, and How You Can Watch
- The Kentucky Derby runs on Saturday, May 6th with a 6:57 pm ET post time
- When is the Derby, how can you watch it and what is an exacta are all common questions asked on Derby weekend
- Everything you need to know for how to bet the 2023 Kentucky Derby can be found here
It’s the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby going down at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The first leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the Derby has always been the jewel with the most lustrous sheen, therefore bettors are lining up and asking how to bet the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
Every person involved in horse racing dreams of sending out a horse to Run for the Roses. When is the race? Who are the Kentucky Derby favorites? Where and how can you bet the big race? We answer this and everything else in this guide to Derby betting made easy.
Note that this year only 19 horses will run instead of 20. Four horses originally in the field have been scratched. Continaur dropped out because trainer Yoshido Yahagi felt his horse wasn’t up to peak fitness. Lord Miles (ban), Practical Move (fever) and Skinner (fever) are also out of the race. They’ve been replaced by Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero and King Russell. There were only three horses on the standby list.
When Is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby will be contested on Saturday, May 6th. Post time for the race is 6:57 pm ET.
Where Is the Kentucky Derby Run?
Under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs in Louisville is where the Kentucky Derby is contested.
It’s known as the fastest two minutes in horse racing.
How Can I Watch the Kentucky Derby?
NBC is carrying the live broadcast of the race. It can also be live-streamed via NBC Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.
FanDuel Sportsbook also offers a number of ways to watch the Derby. There’s the FanDuel Sportsbook app, the FanDuel Racing app and FanDuel TV+. FanDuel TV+ will also provide live coverage of the build-up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
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How Long Is the Kentucky Derby?
The race’s current length of 1 1/4 miles (10 furlongs) was established in 1896. Secretariat set the Derby record in 1973, winning in a time of 1:59.4.
The weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 74 degrees and a chance of rain. If the rain holds off, the track will be fast.
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What Kind of Bets Can I Make on the Kentucky Derby?
Here’s a primer on how to bet on horse racing for the Kentucky Derby. The most common types of horse racing bets are win, place, and show. You’re picking a horse to finish the race in first, second (place) or third (show).
A win bet is self-explanatory. The horse you play must win the race in order to cash.
A place bet cashes if your horse finishes first or second, while a show bet will be a winner as long as your horse hits the wire among the top three.
You can also bet across the board (combining win, place and show wagers on the same horse). Exactas (correctly combining the top two finishers in a race), trifectas (correctly combining the top three) finishers in a race and superfectas (correctly combining the top four finishers in a race).
You needn’t be at the race to wager on it. The FanDuel Racing app is a stellar betting app for Kentucky Derby wagering and one of the best Kentucky Derby betting sites to try if you’re located within a legal state.
Which Jockeys and Trainers Have Won the Most Kentucky Derbys?
Bob Baffert and Ben Jones share the mark for most Derby wins by a trainer (six). Jockeys Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack each won a record five Derbys.
This year’s field includes three jockeys who are past Derby winners. They include two-time champ John Velazquez (Reincarnate), along with Flavien Prat (Angel Of Empire) and Florent Geroux (Jaces Road). Trainers Todd Pletcher (Forte, Tapit Trice, Kingsbarns), William Mott (Rocket Can), and Brad Cox (Hit Show, Verifying, Angel Of Empire, Jaces Road) have each sent out Derby champions.
How Much Does a $2 Win, Place, Show Bet Pay?
That all depends upon the odds. A $2 win bet on a horse at odds of 2-1 would return $6 – $4 for the win and your $2 stake.
Calculating place and show wagers will depend upon which other horses factor into those pools. The pari-mutuel betting in horse racing payout pool on a place bet factors in two horses and the show pool takes into account three horses.
If those horses are all at lower odds, the price won’t be very high. However, if there are one or two Kentucky Derby longshots as part of the pool, that price will increase exponentially.
What Is a Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta?
Exotic bets such as exactas, trifectas and superfectas are the parlay bets of horse racing. You can win a lot with minimal risk, but the odds are long that your bet will come in.
Wheeling or boxing a group of horses – combining them all to finish in any order among the top three – will cost more money, but does increase the chances of cashing a winning ticket in the Kentucky Derby odds.
Which Horses are Favored to Win the Kentucky Derby?
Looking at the Kentucky Derby favorites today, with Forte scratched, Tapit Trice and Angel of Empire have become the co-favorites at +450 odds.
Angel of Empire (9/2) is the new favorite after Forte was scratched this morning 👀#KyDerby pic.twitter.com/6FddytneYk
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) May 6, 2023
Angel Of Empire has the backing of double Derby winners in jockey Prat and trainer Cox.
Do Favorites Tend To Win the Kentucky Derby?
Not lately. Last year, Rich Strike won as an 80-1 longshot. The winner in 2021 was Mandalouin at 12-1. Authentic was the victor in 2020 at 8-1. In 2019, Country House won at odds of 30-1 after Maximum Security violated horse racing rules and was disqualified for interference.
However, between 2013-18, Kentucky Derby betting trends saw favorites win six straight Derbys.
You can see the recent form for all the top Kentucky Derby contenders here.
Which Horse Will Win the Kentucky Derby?
It’s going to be difficult to look past the two Pletcher horses at the top of the odds chart. Tapit Trice is unbeaten this year (3-0) and Forte has won his last five starts, including a victory in the Florida Derby.
However, there are other horses worth considering.
Take a ride aboard Derma Sotogake (#デルマソトガケ) during his morning workout! 🇯🇵🏇❤️#KyDerby | #ケンタッキーダービーpic.twitter.com/VPZGc8c1uA
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 2, 2023
Jockey Velazquez, aboard Reincarnate (50-1) has Derby wins aboard Authentic (2020), Always Dreaming (2017) and Animal Kingdom (2011) on his resume. Kingsbarns (12-1), another Pletcher trainee, is unbeaten in 2023, with a win in the Louisiana Derby. And Derma Sotogake (10-1) won the UAE Derby by 5.5 lengths.
How to Make a Bet on the Kentucky Derby Online
When seeking out the best Kentucky Derby betting app, look no further than FanDuel. Among the most prominent betting apps and betting sites in the world, FanDuel has two different betting platforms available to use for wagering on the Kentucky Derby. Which site you sign up and bet with depends upon the state in which you’re physically located.
Both FanDuel Racing and FanDuel Racebook are among the betting sites for horse racing, and they’re offering new users a $20 No Sweat First Bet. You’ll get the same welcome bonus regardless of your state.
If you are physically present in AR, CA, DE, FL, KY, NH, NM, ND, OR, RI, SD, or VT, sign up with FanDuel Racing.
If you are physically present in CO, IL, IN, LA, MD, MA, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY, sign up with FanDuel Racebook.
Click your state’s featured link and instantly sign up to unlock your $20 bonus for the impending Kentucky Derby action.
TwinSpires is another prominent Kentucky Derby betting app. Sign up at TwinSpires to make your Kentucky Derby best bets and they’ll welcome you with $200 in bonus bets.
Looking for more Kentucky Derby picks and predictions? Get more Derby coverage from SBD below!
- Kentucky Derby Longshot Picks
- Kentucky Derby Expert Picks
- Kentucky Derby Jockeys and Trainers
- Recent Form of Kentucky Derby Contenders
- Pedigree of Kentucky Derby Favorites
- Kentucky Derby Undercard Picks
- Win, Place, Show Picks
- Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta Exotic Bets
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An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
