Best Kentucky Derby Betting Offers
We tested and ranked the best Kentucky Derby betting offers for wagering on the first leg of U.S. horse racing’s Triple Crown.
Above, we’ve designed a quick comparison tool to help you find the best Kentucky Derby betting site.
You can select up to three betting sites from the list above and click Add to Compare to compare their offers, features, payment methods, and more side-by-side.
If you’re unsure which online site suits you, this tool can help you quickly spot the right fit. Give it a try and see how the options stack up.
Note that betting offers vary based on your location.
How We Test and Rate Kentucky Derby Betting Sites & Offers
We at Gambling.com have decades of combined experience testing and reviewing sports betting sites. After years of analyzing sites and reviewing feedback from real bettors, we’ve seen firsthand what makes or breaks a great betting site. Our goal is to connect you with books that aren’t just safe but offer great Kentucky Derby odds and a smooth experience from sign-up to payout.
Our team of industry-leading experts grades each of the betting sites they review on a scale of one to 10 across 10 different categories that we deem to be most important to sports bettors. To determine these scores, we don’t just sit behind a screen and rate sites—we test them, compare them, and dig into the user experience to see how they stack up.
Our process ensures we only recommend betting sites that meet our high standards.
Here are some of the trust factors we use to evaluate Kentucky Derby betting sites:
Payments
You can use a credit or debit card, PayPal, a bank transfer, or another method, depending on the betting site, to fund your account. Using a debit or a bank transfer allows you to play responsibly. Sometimes, you can also use PayNearMe to fund your account. Go to a participating convenience store and make a cash deposit that will be credited to your account.
With most betting sites, you can request an electronic transfer to your bank account. In some cases, you can also request a withdrawal over the phone.
Mobile Product Features
When you bet the Kentucky Derby online, you can download a mobile betting app to wager from anywhere. Plus, depending on your preferred betting site, you can access live streaming of all the day’s races. So even while waiting in line at the store, you can bet and watch the live stream to see how your horse finishes.
Responsible Gambling
Promoting responsible gambling is at the heart of what we do. That’s why we only review fully licensed operators and are committed to offering tools and resources that address responsible betting practices.
How to Bet on the Kentucky Derby
Back in the day, you had to go to a brick-and-mortar racetrack to wager on horse racing, but that is no longer the case. You can sign up and bet on the Kentucky Derby online. Some sites have welcome offers, so you get a boost from the start.
From a betting perspective, this race is unique because there are 20 horses. You will not see another race in the United States with as many horses.
How Kentucky Derby Odds Work
Horse betting odds are determined through a pari-mutuel wagering system. When you bet on a horse in the Derby online, you join a betting pool with other players. Because of this system, everyone gets the same odds at every wagering outlet worldwide. In other words, there's no need to shop around for the best odds on the Kentucky Derby—they're the same everywhere.
There is a different pari-mutuel pool for each type of bet, so there is a win pool, a place pool, a show bet pool, an exacta pool, and so forth.
Types of Wagers
- Win: This is straightforward; bet on a horse to win the race.
- Place: This is a bet to come in second or better.
- Show: This is a bet to finish third or better.
- Exacta: You pick the horses that will come first and second in the correct order when you bet an exacta.
- Trifecta: This is an exacta, but you pick the first three finishers.
- Superfecta: Pick the first four finishers in exact order.
- Quinella: You pick the first two finishers in any order when you play a quinella.
- Pick 4, Pick 5, and Pick 6 are horizontal wagers. You pick the horses to win four, five, or six consecutive races.
The odds are based on the amount of money bet in each pool. Since there are 20 horses, it is spread around, so you typically get reasonably good odds on every horse in the field. For this reason, there is a lot of money to be made betting on the Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby Futures Betting
Kentucky Derby futures betting is speculative and, therefore, risky. Ante-post odds are posted in advance on the horses with a chance to win the race, but many will never actually run.
That means you can be in a great position to win big on Derby Day. You are in a sweet spot when you have a win betting slip that will pay 20/1 in the futures market.
Strategies for Picking a Kentucky Derby Winner
You should study past performances and devote sufficient time to researching before you bet on the Kentucky Derby. There will be 20 horses to analyze, so much work is involved.
Use Beyer Speed Figures
We like to get our past performances for the Daily Racing Form (DRF) for one reason: Though other publications have past performances, the DRF has exclusive rights to Beyer Speed Figures. Andrew Beyer designed this system as a racing columnist for The Washington Post in the 1970s.
His book, Picking Winners: A Horseplayer's Guide, was first published in 1975 and has become a must-read for serious handicappers. He has used the system to win a lot of money, including a $35,000 Pick 6.
Beyer Speed Figures for every horse in every race are published in the Daily Racing Form, which you can access by purchasing a subscription. When poring over past performances, you should assess all factors, but having access to Beyer Speed Figures can give you added insight. It is a single number that considers every relevant factor, including track bias on a race day.
Find Overlays
When you are handicapping potential win bets, look for overlays (odds are higher than they should be). In these situations, the horse's odds of winning the race are shorter than the odds on the tote board. You are not looking for the most likely winner; you are trying to get the best value.
Consider the Post Draw
With 20 horses in the race, the post draw is essential. Horses racing wide cover more ground and run longer, which can lead to fatigue. This does not necessarily mean you should throw out horses drawn outside posts. If the horse has enough speed to clear most of the field, they can overcome a wide post position.
Conversely, the far inside post position is unsuitable for horses that break out of the gate slowly, as they risk getting trapped behind traffic.
Start with a Win Bet—Then a Superfecta
Your first bet on the Kentucky Derby should be a win bet because it is straightforward. Since you can always find overlays, it is the best opportunity to place a win bet all year.
If you're feeling adventurous, consider playing a superfecta, where you must pick the top four finishers. The minimum bet is usually $1 for the Kentucky Derby, and while a ticket with ample coverage can be costly, the potential payoff is considerable. From 2010 to 2020, the average payout for a $1 Kentucky Derby superfecta was $76,893.
Expect Peak (and Unpredictable) Performances
The Kentucky Derby is the pinnacle of racing for three-year-old horses. Many of these horses are worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars and are trained by the best in the business. Expect peak performances in the big race.
As past winners Giacomo and Mine That Bird have shown, no competitor is without a chance. The Kentucky Derby field is large, and any horse qualified for the Run for the Roses has a good bit of ability.
Longshots still win the Kentucky Derby; the favorite has failed to win six consecutive Derbies. In 2025, the winner Sovereignty went off at 7/1, and three of the last six Derby champs were 65/1 or longer (Country House, Rich Strike).
More Horse Racing Tips from Gambling.com
What Is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown, run on the first Saturday in May every year at Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky. More than $130 million is bet yearly in the U.S. on the Kentucky Derby, with more than $200 million wagered across the Kentucky Derby Festival.
It is one of the grandest American traditions that captivates fans worldwide.
The fun begins on the Friday before the Derby when the Kentucky Oaks is the feature race. The post time for the Oaks is about 6 p.m., and the Derby post time is same time the following day. The Kentucky Oaks is for three-year-old fillies, and some of the most incredible female horses have competed in the Oaks. There are other good races on Saturday before the Derby, too, so you will have a lot of wagering opportunities that weekend.
Kentucky Derby Field
As mentioned, the Kentucky Derby field is the largest in U.S. horse racing with 20 participants. The Kentucky Derby's three-year-old thoroughbreds are high-quality horses still developing, and they can significantly improve from one race to the next.
About Churchill Downs
Venerable Churchill Downs opened its doors for the first time in 1875. It was the brainchild of Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, a horse racing enthusiast who attended the 1872 Epsom Derby in Surrey, England.
He was taken in by the impressive spectacle and wanted to do something similar in Kentucky to promote the horse breeding industry. Henry and John Churchill owned 80 acres, which would be a perfect spot for the new track, and they leased it to Clark, their nephew.
The rest is history, and quite a history at that. The event has been held every year since 1875. A pair of World Wars, the Great Depression, and the COVID-19 pandemic have not stopped this beloved tradition.
It is run on the Churchill Downs dirt course at 1-¼ miles on the first Saturday in May. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds, and fillies get a five-pound weight break. The great Secretariat set a record (that still stands today) when he registered a winning time of 1:59.4 in 1973.
Past Kentucky Derby Winners
Every Kentucky Derby is noteworthy in some way, but there have been some especially memorable performances. Secretariat’s record-breaking victory is one of them, and in 1980, Genuine Risk was the first filly to win the Derby since Regret in 1915.
More recently, American Pharaoh’s 2015 Derby win was the first step in his quest to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Justify joined him three years later in the pantheon of the all-time greats. The following is a list of the last 10 Kentucky Derby winners:
| Year | Winner/Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sovereignty/Bill Mott | 2:02.31 |
| 2024 | Mystik Dan/Kenneth G. McPeek | 2:03.34 |
| 2023 | Mage/Gustavo Delgado | 2:01.57 |
| 2022 | Rich Strike/Eric Reed | 2:02.61 |
| 2021 | Mandaloun/Brad Cox | 2:01.02 |
| 2020 | Authentic/Baffe | 2:00.61 |
| 2019 | Country House/Bill Mott | 2:03.93 |
| 2018 | Justify/Bob Baffert | 2:04.20 |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming/Todd Pletcher | 2:03.59 |
| 2016 | Nyquist/Doug O'Neill | 2:01.31 |
| 2015 | American Pharoah/Bob Baffert | 2:03.02 |
Responsible Gambling with Kentucky Derby Betting Sites
We at Gambling.com take responsible gambling very seriously. Our main goals are to connect you with reliable betting operators while maintaining a safe gambling environment for all users.
Horse racing betting sites must follow strict protocols to spot, prevent, and reduce gambling-related harm. These aren't optional measures; they're legal requirements and essential safeguards that protect vulnerable players from developing problematic habits.
We always keep these requirements in mind whenever we review and rate a betting site, and we only partner with licensed operators that adhere to legal standards. Moreover, all betting sites that we review here have responsible gambling tools and resources to help you stay in control of your betting.
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