There are few races on the horse racing calendar that garner attention like the Kentucky Derby. It is a race that captures the imagination of novice bettors, as well as those that wager on the action throughout the racing season.
Many of the leading sportsbooks already offer odds for the opening leg of the Triple Crown season at Churchill Downs, but experienced bettors will wait until the draw for the race is made before making their selections.
However, what are the betting options available to make wagers on the Kentucky Derby this year? Here are the best Kentucky Derby bets explained for you.
To Win
The most straightforward bet type available for the Kentucky Derby is the win market. This is a market that is preferred by novices, as it takes very little to understand. In the win market, you will be wagering on the horse that you believe will win at Churchill Downs.
For example, if you place a wager on Forte to win the Kentucky Derby, then the returns will only be added to your account in the horse is the first past the post in the famous race. Any other result would see the stake lost.
Place Betting
Place betting is a very popular alternative for those looking to cover more bases with their selection. Depending on the sportsbook, the place market could cover just the first two places, while offshore sites could enable up to four places to be offered.
Here, you will be looking to find a horse that finishes in the stated places in the Kentucky Derby. This is typically a betting market for those looking to wager on a higher-priced selection, as the returns from a place wager on the favorite could be minimal if the runner finishes second.
Exacta/Trifecta Betting
Finding the winner of the Kentucky Derby will be challenging enough for most punters, but the Exacta and Trifecta markets both enable selections to be made on the runners that will finish in the next couple of spots.
The Exacta will see bettors look to correctly predict the runners that finish first and second in the correct order, while to land the Trifecta, bettors must also correctly find the runner that finishes third.
This is one of the most challenging betting markets to land a victory in, as the bet must be precise to gain returns from the selections made. However, it could be very lucrative if you have conducted adequate research.
Exacta & Trifecta Boxes
As we mentioned, finding the horses that will finish in the first three places in the correct order is extremely challenging. However, an alternative for that is to pick at least three runners in a Trifecta box.
You can select as many runners as you like for this market, and the returns will be determined based on the finishing order if three selections finish in the first three home in the Kentucky Derby. It may be a more expensive betting option, but you could key a horse to finish first to limit the stake if you’re confident in one runner landing victory.
Multiple Betting
Kentucky Derby weekend is about more than just the opening leg of the Triple Crown, with the Kentucky Oaks ran on Friday at Churchill Downs. A growing number of bettors are now making parlays on their selections, combining the horses that they believe will win both races into one bet.
This could be an incredibly lucrative selection if you are able to find the winners of both races, but both selections must be correct in order to get returns on your bet.
