How To Bet Kentucky Derby

With the long history of the Kentucky Derby dating back to 1875, there are ample events and interest centered around the country’s oldest continuously ran sport event. Often referred to as, “the greatest two minutes in sport,” it is also one of the quickest. “It’s not just horse racing, it’s an event and an experience,” sports betting aficionado Peter Kula shares.

With a background in rolling out nationwide sports betting programs and initiatives with companies such as Caesars Entertainment and William Hill, Kula is seasoned in the sports world with personal interest and professional involvement as well. “What makes the race so exciting is that the best horse typically doesn't win. There's usually 20 horses that are in the starting gate for this race. As soon as the gate opens, anything can happen,” he mentions.

According to Kula, it is quite usual that a longshot wins the race. The win is generally dependent on the lane positioning of the horse and jockey. “It is almost impossible to win the Kentucky Derby if in a poor position at the beginning of the race. That is why the actual post position is considered when determining the winner,” Kula informs. The odds for betting are not determined until the positioning of each horse has been selected to take this into consideration.

Additional factors to evaluate include positional speed of the horse, the horse’s experience, past performance statistics and the jockey. There is plenty more to bet on than just which horse will finish first. With infinite potential scenarios, there are numerous possibilities to bet on.

“Exotic wagering is very popular during the Kentucky Derby. Place multi-race wagers and predict the order of finish. The higher the odds of the horse, the larger the payout. People will try every combination and study days on end to figure out the order of finish,” Kula notes. One of the most precise bets is the Superfecta. The better attempts to foretell which 4 horses will finish first and the exact order they will finish in.

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Various apps are available to download and utilize in the state of Nevada to fund horse wagering accounts to place bets on the Derby. Though it is required in the state of Nevada that one is physically at a sportsbook that offers horse race betting to register their app account. Once the account is registered and initially funded, bets can be placed anywhere in the state thereafter.

Peter Kula mentions of his favorite betting method, “I like to have money on the apps so I am free to watch the races anywhere without having to wait in line to place bets….from my phone I can bet in advance and relax while I watch.” Research the horses running, their jockeys, positioning and past performance and fund your horse wagering accounts in preparation of the 2022 Kentucky Derby.