Kentucky Derby Odds 2024: Track Favorites to Win at Churchill Downs

• Track the average odds to win the Kentucky Derby for the most talked-about horses competing at this year’s Derby
• Fierceness, Catching Freedom, and Forever Young are the current favorites to win the 2024 Kentucky Derby
• View which trainers and jockeys have had the most success at Churchill Downs

The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled to take place at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, May 4, 2024.

We’re tracking the current Kentucky Derby odds for every fleet-footed thoroughbred since they became available. The main graph on this page has been generated by calculating the average from many of the most trusted horse racing sites.

2024 Kentucky Derby Odds

Kentucky Derby odds as of April 30th at TwinSpires.

Fierceness (+250) and Catching Freedom (+300) are the current favorites just days before the Kentucky Derby.

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#KyDerby favorite works 4 furlongs in :48.80 for trainer Todd Pletcher on Friday morning. pic.twitter.com/QkgHrmAuAz

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 26, 2024

Kentucky Derby 2024 Favorites to Win

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• [Apr 30] Word has come out this morning that Encino has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby, with no reason for the scratch immediately available. Drawn from the also-eligible list to replace Encino is Epic Ride (+7000).
• [Apr 29] The post positions have been set for the twenty horses entered into the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Pre-race favorite Fierceness (+250) is on the outside in post 17, while second-favorite Sierra Leone drew post 2. Historically, the post position that has produced the most Kentucky Derby wins is #5; that spot belongs to Catalytic (+3000).
• [Apr 26] Following the last of the 2024 derby prep races, Fierceness, Catching Freedom, and Forever Young are the early Kentucky Derby favorites.

Fierceness

With odds sitting at 3-1 just over a week before the Kentucky Derby, Fierceness has the pedigree to justify his placement at the front of the field. The three-year old colt boasts three wins in five races, including the Curlin Florida Derby at the end of March, the same race won by last year’s pre-race favorite Forte (albeit before Forte’s scratch the day of the derby).

The jockey and trainer of Fierceness, John R. Velazquez & Todd A. Pletcher, have already won one derby together, in 2017 on another pre-race favorite, Always Dreaming. The pair have a combined five prior wins at the derby since 2010, and that level of experience combined with Fierceness’ recent performances justifies their status as an early favorite.

Catching Freedom

With a pedigree similar to that of Fierceness, Catching Freedom is another three-year old who’s been winning since 2023. Currently sitting at 6-1, the bay-colored colt has already won twice in 2024, at the Smart Jones Stakes and the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. In fact, Catching Freedom has already won at Churchill Downs, at the 2023 Maiden Special Weight last October.

Forever Young

Coming in at 8-1 is Forever Young, the three-year bay-colored colt from Japan. To date, no Japanese-bred horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, but that could all change that in 2024. Forever Young has won all five races he’s started, including last month’s UAE Derby in Dubai, and his career earning have already topped $2,000,000.

Sierra Leone

With three wins in four races, Sierra Leone could make some noise at the Kentucky Derby. The dark bay colt has won at the Aqueduct Maiden Special Weight, Risen Star Stakes, and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, while also placing second at the Remsen Stakes. Currently listed at 8-1, Sierra Leone could be a good pick to continue his winning streak in 2024.

Kentucky Derby Past Winners: Recent 12 to Know About

The 2023 Kentucky Derby began with a shock as pre-race favorite Forte was withdrawn hours before the start of the race due to a bruised right foot. This opened the door for potential wins from Tait Trice and Angel of Empire, the only two horses with odds below 10-1.

But at 15-1, it was Mage who ultimately took the win. He initially broke slowly and remained near the back of the pack, advanced to sixth by the mile marker, and finally was able to make a move on the outside before overtaking the leaders down the stretch. Mage won the 149th Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:01.57.

Most Successful Kentucky Derby Trainers

In 2023, it was Gustavo Delgado who claimed his first Derby win as the trainer of Mage.

Jockeys with the Most Kentucky Derby Wins

Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack each lead the way for all-time jockey wins with five each. Following them is Bill Shoemaker who was four wins, last winning in 1986 with Ferdinand.

John Velazquez is right up there in the conversation for best all-time as well. For a moment he too had four wins, however, lost one when Medina Spirit was disqualified in 2021. Instead, Florent Geroux, riding Mandaloun claimed his first jockey win at the Kentucky Derby.

It was another first-time winner in 2023 with Javier Castellano, a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee in 2017, riding Mage in his sixteenth appearance at the Kentucky Derby.

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How to Place Bets on Kentucky Derby?

There are many ways to bet on the Kentucky Derby. From picking a winner to picking the top two or three to a whole host of exotic bets. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular.

Futures Wagers

Futures wagers in horse racing can be done much like futures bets in any other sport. Get the best odds to win the Kentucky Derby by using your sportsbook of choice to place your bet. You can bet on the Kentucky Derby all throughout the year leading up to the race in May. Odds will fluctuate greatly throughout the year as horses begin to gain Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Win, Place, Show

There are three main types of bets you can make in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. When you look at who is supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, you’ll probably land on a few of the top contenders. But it may be hard to pick who finishes the race in first place.

Therefore, you have some choices. You can bet on a horse to win (first place), to place (come first or second) or to show (come first, second or third).

You will obviously get better odds for just picking the outright winner. You’ll get shorter odds for making a place or show bet, but you’ll also have a greater chance of winning.

Exacta Bet

When placing an Exacta bet, you are not only betting on who will come first, but also who will come second. You’ll usually get some great long odds on predicting this outcome because you need two outcomes to be correct. You will need your horses to come in the exact order you choose in first and second to win. You can also bet an Exacta Box, for shorter odds, but for your two horses to come in any order in the top two.

Trifecta Bet

The Trifecta bet is much like the Exacta, however, you are instead picking which horses will come in first, second and third and in that exact order. You’ll get great odds for making this prediction correctly as it’s extremely hard to do. Similarily to the Exacta Box, you can bet a Trifecta Box, where your three horses can come in any order in the top three for shorter odds.

Archived Kentucky Derby Odds: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019