The Kentucky Derby is the second most bet on single event of the year in the United States, next to the betting on the Super Bowl. The majority of individuals who watch the race will have at least placed some sort of Kentucky Derby bet.
The Derby is the first race of the USA Triple Crown and it takes place every year around on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby is followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in the Triple Crown lineup. There have been two recent Triple Crown winners with Justify accomplishing the feat in 2018 and American Pharaoh winning all three Triple Crown races in 2015. Prior to American Pharaoh you would have to go back to 1978 to find the last Triple Crown winner (Affirmed).
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Recent Kentucky Derby Winning Bets
It is possible to win huge amounts of money betting on the Kentucky Derby, especially betting on exotic wagers. Here are some facts about the amount won in recent years betting on the winning combination of horses. The risk for each win was just $2.
2013 (Orb victory)
- $2 Win – $12.80
- $2 Exacta – $981.60
- $1 Trifecta – $3,462.80
- $1 Superfecta – $28,542.00
2014 (California Chrome victory)
- $2 Win – $7.00
- $2 Exacta – $340.00
- $1 Trifecta – $1,712.30
- $1 Superfecta – $7,691.90
2015 (American Pharoah victory)
- $2 Win – $7.80
- $2 Exacta – $72.60
- $1 Trifecta – $101.00
- $1 Superfecta – $634.10
2016 (Nyquist victory)
- $2 Win – $6.60
- $2 Exacta – $30.80
- $1 Trifecta – $86.70
- $1 Superfecta – $542.10
2017 (Always Dreaming victory)
- $2 Win – $11.40
- $2 Exacta – $336.20
- $1 Trifecta – $8,297.20
- $1 Superfecta – $75,974.50
2018 (Justify victory)
- $2 Win – $7.80
- $2 Exacta – $69.60
- $1 Trifecta – $141.40
- $1 Superfecta $19,618.20
2019 (Country House victory)
- $2 Win – $132.40
- $2 Exacta – $3,009.60
- $1 Trifecta – $11,475.30
- $1 Superfecta – $51,400.10
2020 (Authentic victory)
- $2 Win – $18.80
- $2 Exacta – $41.00
- $1 Trifecta – $1,311.80
- $1 Superfecta – $7,925.80
2021 (Medina Spirit victory)
- $2 Win – $26.20
- $2 Exacta – $503.60
- $1 Trifecta – $1696.90
- $1 Superfecta – $9,456.40
The biggest Superfecta payout since 1990 came in 2005 when a correct Superfecta wager would have turned $2 into $864,253.50! That’s just ridiculous.
Kentucky Derby Betting Tips
Here are a few Kentucky Derby betting tips to help you try to win big this year.
- Wait As Long As Possible To Bet – With parimutuel betting the odds change as the public bets and your bet isn’t locked in at set odds until the race is set to begin. For this reason it is best to wait until close to race time to bet in order to have the most accurate information on what the odds on the winning horses will be.
- Don’t Bet On The Favorite – In general the public likes to bet on the favorite which can shorten the odds more than they should be. Look for some better value on horses that may have been overlooked, but have a shot at winning.
- Research – The Kentucky Derby is the first race of the Triple Crown, which means there may not be a ton of information available on these horses. If you do your research and know more than the general public then there is a better chance of you making a profitable wager.
To learn more about the Kentucky Derby I suggest visiting the Kentucky Derby wiki page.