A Simple Guide To Betting The Kentucky Derby

Mystik Dan created a nice return on an across the board bet in Kentucky Derby 150

Coady Photography

The Kentucky Derby is THE race in the United States and likely the entire world. Of course, one of the elements in the sport of Thoroughbred racing is the speculation. More wagers are placed on this mile and a quarter run at Churchill Downs than any other in the country. In 2025, $234.4 million from all sources was bet on just the Kentucky Derby. The day itself saw $349 million pass through the parimutuel windows from all sources. With that in mind, what is the best way to place a winning wager on the Kentucky Derby? Here is a dummy’s guide (me being the dummy) to cashing a ticket on the world’s most famous race.

A Kentucky Derby Runner Across The Board Bet Is A Great Start

For those not deeply embedded in the game of Thoroughbred racing the thought of wagering can be intimidating. The key for beginners is don’t over complicate something simple. The beauty of the Kentucky Derby is also what makes it the toughest race to forecast. It is the largest field of any race in North America and ALL of the runners are accomplished. The good news about that is there are plenty of really nice horses that will go off at higher odds and that means bigger payouts. Because there are returns paid on runners that finish second and third in the race, you can invest in more ways than just the “win” bet. A place (second) and show (third) wager can also be placed. The payouts for place and show are diminished returns, but are returns nonetheless. Our favorite wager on the Kentucky Derby is the “across the board bet”. That means we are betting win, place, and show. It increases your investment, but is a safer way to insure cashing a ticket. For instance, a $2 across the board bet is $6 in total as you are wagering $2 on each. Because the betting pools are so large and the odds are favorable, if you can land in the top three it will usually be profitable. In 2025, that $6 returned $31.01 on the winner (Sovereignty), $8.64 on the second-place finisher (Journalism) and $8.38 on the third-place horse (Baeza). In 2024, it was $65.54 (Mystik Dan), $11.18 (Sierra Leone), and $5.58 (Forever Young). The across-the-board bet may not create a robbing the bank scenario, but it is a good way to cash a ticket and as a wise man once said, “a short price is better than a long face”.

The Hunch Play for The Kentucky Derby Can Be The Ticket

Selecting your across-the-board horse can be difficult. My suggestion is to bet more than one and spread the wealth, who knows, you might cash on more than one. Because all the horses are good and most beginners don’t want to go too far into the weeds, how do you choose? The simple answer is the hunch bet. Pick a horse you feel might be your namesake in some shape, form, or fashion. In this year’s field you might be a Renegade, or like the Right To Party, or the sport makes you So Happy. Maybe you like a certain number of saddle cloth. Perhaps the horse is striking in appearance and is a pretty color. At the end of the day, we are all guessing and the hunch play can sometimes pay better than the super educated guess. Besides, if that hunch pays a bunch you feel a little better about it as you had some type of connection.

So Happy could be a hunch bet for lots of casual fans in Derby 152

BENOIT PHOTO

Back A Horse And Get Paid

Regardless of the outcome at the wagering window, the Kentucky Derby is a glorious event that offers an abundance of joy. Truly a life-changing event, the Derby offers immortality to the winning horse, but so much more to all the participants and fans. Investing in the Kentucky Derby allows us all to cash a ticket in one way or another, but those of the parimutuel variety are always quite nice.

The Kentucky Derby is carded as race 12 and will be run on May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky with an expected post time of 6:57 pm eastern.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com