How Do I Bet On The Kentucky Derby
The $126 million bet on Saturday’s race card at Churchill was the lowest since 2002. The total handle that year on Derby Day was $123.2 million. Last year’s Kentucky Derby alone generated a betting. Here's everything you need to know before placing your bets so you can (hopefully) win some money on the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
- How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby 2020
- How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby From Home
- How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby 2021
- How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby In New Jersey
America’s biggest race, the Kentucky Derby, typically draws an enormous amount of fans to Louisville and Churchill Downs with more than 150,000 in attendance on Derby Day. But there are millions of other race fans who bet on the Kentucky Derby across the country, and many don’t even realize that they can do it from their mobile device or web browser in 33 states.
Fans looking to wager on the race can turn to TVG, TwinSpires and BetAmerica for free and legal US horse race betting. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to sign up for these sites and receive free money to place your bets on the race.
Best legal horse betting sites and apps for the Kentucky Derby
| App / Site | iOS | Android | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| TVG | Yes | Yes | $300 Risk-Free Bet |
| Twinspires | Yes | Yes | 100% up to $100 |
| BetAmerica | Yes | Yes | $100 bonus on $500 wager |
When betting the Kentucky Derby, the casual fan doesn’t want a race dissertation on pace and breakdown or all details and past performances of horses. Most fans and recreational bettors want to know a select few horses that they can bet on to win the race and add to their exotic picks and bets.
One of the premier places to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby and other live races is TVG, a digital, cable and television network owned by the FanDuel Group. TVG offers a one-stop shop for all horse racing fans with online wagering, a betting app and live streaming and race results. No waiting in lines, delays or errors by race tellers.
BetAmerica is another top choice for horse racing. Owned by Churchill Downs, BetAmerica is also fully licensed, regulated and U.S. based website with options to bet on races from more than 400 tracks online or a mobile device. BetAmerica has free live horse race video streaming and handicapping information and tools along with contests and rewards programs not available when betting at a casino or race and sportsbook.
How to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby
How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby 2020
Betting on the Kentucky Derby online is easy once you’ve set up an account. When you bet on a horse to win, simply locate the track listing at Churchill Downs and the race number of the Kentucky Derby and select the horse number. Add it to your bet slip and confirm the amount of the win wager. The odds can change right up to post time of the Kentucky Derby. For added or multiple bets like exacta and trifecta, add all the selections to your betting slip and confirm the amount you want to wager and all combinations.
For more details on the different types of Kentucky Derby bets, check out our complete betting guide.
How to sign up and create an account
Signing up for a wagering account to bet the Kentucky Derby is easy. You must be 18 years of age or older, 21 in the state of Washington and TVG users in Arizona, Indiana, Iowa and North Dakota must also be at least 21 years old.
- Create an account: In just a few minutes you’ll be set up after providing your name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, last four of your social security number and creating a user name and password for your account.
- Deposit funds and get free money: Use the links on this page for each site to take advantage of the free money bonuses. Deposit options vary but may include credit or debit card, PayPal, PayNearMe, MoneyGram, EZMoney, MoneyPack, Neteller, TeleCheck or prepaid card. Withdrawing funds is easy and efficient and each site has selected options similar to deposit. Once your deposit clears, bonus money will appear in your account within minutes.
States where you can bet the Kentucky Derby online
All three online sites at TVG, TwinSpires and BetAmerica allow online horse betting in these states:
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Maryland
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Wyoming
In addition, TVG offers online horse betting in these states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Virginia and Washington.
How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby From Home
TwinSpires offers online horse betting in Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
BetAmerica offers online horse betting in Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota and New Mexico.
The horses are all in Louisville. The draw has been made, and the morning line is set. Now all we can do is wait until post time of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. In the meantime, we can start to think about how to bet on the race and how to make sense of what is a very deep and wide-open race.
One good exercise to do at this point in the week is to look at who the best bet is based on the morning line odds. This isn't necessarily the most likely winner, but the horse that best offers value in their price. Last year, for example, I was very confident that Justify was the top pick, that he was most likely to win, and that he would be my strong choice in the race. But when I did this exercise looking for the best bet on the Kentucky Derby, he was the first horse I ruled out. He was a 2/1 at the time, and though his price climbed nicely to almost 3/1 by post time, it was hard to embrace a price that low in a 20-horse field for a colt who had run only three times. He was a freak, but not a value-packed one.
The best bet in my eyes, in terms of value, was Good Magic at 8/1 at the time. He wound up second at almost 10/1, completing a very nice exacta - at least considering that the horse that won was everyone's pick. So, which horse stands out as the best bet this year? It's a tough question:
It's not:
Omaha Beach (4/1): The colt is predictably and deservedly the favorite, having won three straight, including two in a row under Mike Smith. And the fact that Smith chose this ride over that of Santa Anita Derby winner Roadster - trained by Smith's Triple Crown partner and Triple Crown race savant Bob Baffert - is a major endorsement. But in a race as wide-open as this one , I would have to be opposed to any favorite at this kind of price regardless of who it was. The colt drew the 12 hole, which isn't necessarily ideal and hasn't produced a lot of winners. He doesn't have any clear early speed outside of him, so the trip is likely to be better than it could be, but he still has a lot of ground to cover early on. And he has made only two stakes starts, and both have come on the same Oaklawn Park track, so he isn't hugely proven. I like the colt, and I respect his chances, but there is no value in this price.
Game Winner (5/1): I am a huge Bob Baffert guy, so all three of his horses are going to figure prominently into my selections and bets. But while both American Pharoah and Nyquist, in 2015 and 2016, respectively, won the Derby after claiming Two-Year-Old Champion honors, that has not been the trend for this award. More often, winners have been good at three, but not as good as they were. And so far, that has been the case for Game Winner . He has looked good in both of his races, and he has certainly not embarrassed himself in any way, but he also hasn't won either race, and he has been edged in both cases by horses he is facing again here. He's also a horse that would be best set up by a fairly aggressive early pace, and I'm not certain that is going to happen here . I really like the horse, and I will bet him, but the value isn't here at this price.
Roadster (6/1): He's the top Baffert horse in my eyes, and I will be all over him. But the biggest thing he has going against him is that the 17 hole has never produced a winner of this race. He doesn't need to be near the lead, and that certainly helps him, but the draw didn't do anything to add to his value.
Best bet:
How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby 2021
Tacitus (10/1): In the love affair with Omaha Beach and the three Baffert horses - attention they all deserve - Tacitus has been a relatively forgotten horse. In different circumstances he would get a lot more love - and he would earn it. He has been nothing but professional in two stakes wins against pretty strong fields. Jose Ortiz, among the best riders out there right now, chose this colt among several options, including Improbable. He is bred to run forever. He doesn't need the lead or anything close to it and isn't particularly dependent on pace to set up his race. He breaks from the eight hole, which is a pretty good spot to be in this race. The connections are strong beyond Ortiz - trainer Bill Mott is a master, and owner and breeder Juddmonte Farms have been named the nation's top owner four times and top breeder five times. If this colt goes off anywhere near this price - and there is a good chance he'll rise above it by post time - then there is definite value here. He may not be as likely a winner as Omaha Beach, but if you think his chances of winning are 2.5 times worse - as the odds suggest - then you are watching something different than I am.
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How To Bet On The Kentucky Derby In New Jersey
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