Bet On The Kentucky Derby

The biggest horse in the US rolls around this in just over a month’s time, with the books closing on futures betting on Saturday noon. The 139^th edition of the Kentucky Derby is taking place in Louisville, Kentucky. The ‘most exciting two minutes in sports’ is run over one and a quarter miles and is the first leg of the US Triple Crown. Last year’s race was well won by Orb, and this year’s race is expected to provide another close run thing. The favourite’s tag has already shifted hands in the betting this week, with Cairo Prince and California Chrome currently jointly occupying first line of betting, but there is little to choose from between these two horses, as well as several contenders in the chasing pack.

2014 Kentucky Derby Odds

The best place to have a bet on the 2014 Kentucky Derby is with Bet365.com. The odds below were taken from the site, and you will be able to find the latest race odds there as well. Bet365.com is also offering each-way betting on the race, with which you will receive 1/4 if should your selection place in positions one to three.

(top 20 runners)

Cairo Prince 10/1

California Chrome 10/1

Social Inclusion 14/1

Bayern 16/1

Hoppertunity 16/1

Strong Mandate 20/1

Tapiture 20/1

Candy Boy 20/1

Havana 25/1

Tamarando 25/1

General A Rod 25/1

Intense Holiday 25/1

Wildcat Red 25/1

Samraat 25/1

Chitu 25/1

Maxikoma 33/1

Midnight Hawk 33/1

We Miss Artie 33/1

In trouble 33/1

Kid Cruz 33/1

Saturday 3 May will be the day of the Kentucky Derby and one of the biggest days in the North American horseracing schedule. There is still just over a month to go to the event, but with the books closing on the futures betting this weekend, plenty of activity will be expected in the betting circles over the next few days.

There are two horses in contention for the race as joint pre-race favourites at this stage, with Cairo Prince and California Chrome both in at 10/1 at the moment. A strong winner of the San Felipe at Santa Anita last time out, California Chrome will next be in action in the Santa Anita Derby next week, and with 50 points already in the Kentucky Derby classification, tied for ninth position, probably already has enough to be in the big race, and will look to fine tune his performance in the coming weeks.

Cairo Prince, the other horse at 10/1 was a little further out at the time of the last pool of betting, but thanks largely to a comfortable 5-length victory in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park in January has seen his price come down considerably since then. In preparation for the Kentucky meeting, Cairo Prince will feature – as 9/5 favourite – in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream. He is currently in 18^th position in the Kentucky Derby standings, and will be looking for a strong position to seal his place in the final 20 for the Derby.

Leading that chart at the moment are We Miss Artie and Samraat, with 60 points each, followed by Hoppertunity, Chitu, Intense Holiday and Midnight Hawk with more than 50 points. Level on 50 points with California Chrome are Wildcat Red and Ring Weekend.

Where To Bet On The Kentucky Derby

As mentioned above, the best racebook to place a bet on the 2014 Kentucky Derby is Bet365.com, who will offer the best odds on the race. When visiting Bet365.com, click on ‘Horse Racing’ in the left sidebar and scroll down to the Antepost section of the page, where you will find the markets for this race and many more.

 About The Race

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 race for three year olds held in Louisville, Kentucky. Inaugurated in 1875, the Kentucky Derby has been dubbed ‘the most exciting two minutes in sports’ and is the first leg of the US Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes later in the year. The race one and a quarter miles long and has purse of $2 million.

Visit the Kentucky Derby’s official website to keep up with the race and the race’s wiki page to learn more about the event.