Kentucky Derby Betting
Online Kentucky Derby betting involves choosing horses, choosing bets and choosing one of our recommended sportsbooks for the best Kentucky Derby betting options.
Read on for a guide through each of these Kentucky Derby betting choices. You’ll find the guide to be very comprehensive, but not too overwhelming even for new bettors who want to try out horse wagering for the 1st time.
Choosing Horses
There are various ways to choose horses for Kentucky Derby betting. Some patrons select a horse for its appealing or strange name. Other patrons follow the pedigree of a horse, betting on those racers who come from a line of winning sires.
Bettors serious about winning choose horses for Kentucky Derby betting by looking at the statistics from horses’ recent races. The Derby’s official website lists race histories for each Derby contender.
Bettors review horses’ recent finishes, race history and performance on Past Performance forms. KentuckyDerbyPicks.com and Derby experts offer top picks for the 136th Kentucky Derby based on these statistics.
Note: Check out our 2010 Derby Favorites Page for additional help
Choosing Bets to Place at The Derby
Straight Bets are single bets on individual horses. The four straight bets are:
– Win: Bet your horse will finish first. Kentucky Derby bettors may place more than one win bet to increase their winning potential.
– Place: Bet on your horse finishing first or second.
– Show: Bet that your horse will finish first, second or third.
– Across the Board: Three-part bet combining the other straight bets on one horse. Bet an amount “across the board” that your horse will win, place or show. If the horse wins, you collect all three parts. If it places second, you win place and show bets. If third, you win only the show bet.
Many combination bets are also available for Kentucky Derby Betting, such as:
Exacta/Perfecta
A combined single wager on two horses naming their exact finishing order.
Trifecta
One wager naming the exact finish order of the first three horses.
Superfecta
Betting on the top four finishers in exact finish order.
Quinella
Like exacta, one bet naming the first and second place horses, but without the exact finish order. Quinellas are like exacta boxes, but one usually pays better odds.
Exacta/Perfecta/Trifecta/Quinella Box
Boxing chooses two or more horses to win, without choosing their finish order. The more horses in the box, the more it multiplies the wager cost.
Exacta/Perfecta/Trifecta Wheel
Wheels chose one sure place with options for another place. On a sure win, it looks like: $3 Exacta Wheel #3 with #5, #6, #8. The bet wins if #3 wins and either 5, 6 or 8 places second.
Choosing Your Derby Sportsbooks
Two top recommended sportsbooks offering Kentucky Derby betting action are Sportsbook.com and Bodog:
– Sportsbook.com lists daily races in preparation for the Kentucky Derby. Get up to 8% cash back on daily horse racing bets when signing up at Sportsbook.com for Kentucky Derby betting.
>> Get Your Sportsbook.com Account Now
– Bodog.com offers a 10-cent Superfecta plus chances to win on the Coolmore Lexington Derby prep race among others. Cash back rewards and top contender updates prepare bettors for the best choices on the May 1st Kentucky Derby.