The biggest betting horse race of the year is coming up on Saturday, May 4: the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs! The purse for the 150th edition of this historic race is a colossal $5 million, up $2 million from 2023. The betting appeal is as good as ever, too: 20 top horses going a testing 1 ¼ miles for big money, the blanket of roses, and a place in horse racing history.
Bettors are also playing for big money on Kentucky Derby day. With such a huge field, there are always live longshots and massive exotics payouts all day long. Keep reading to find out the best horses to bet in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and the best places to bet online from Florida!
Attending the Kentucky Derby is a thrilling experience, but we cannot all make it there. Fortunately, you can be part of the Kentucky Derby action from Florida by betting it at an online racebook! Betting online is the right choice because you can play from anywhere with an internet connection, get market-leading odds, and get benefits you’ll never find at the track.
Our reviews make it easy to choose the right place to bet. All of our recommended racebooks offer trusted deposits and payouts. They also offer fixed-odds wagering on major races like the Kentucky Derby, as well as racebook bonuses like deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and rebates that pay you just for betting!
Take a few minutes to choose the best Florida racebook for you, and get ready to build your bankroll for Kentucky Derby and beyond!
With your betting account ready, it is time to meet the field and find out the best bets for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
This is the official field for the 2024 Kentucky Derby including draw numbers, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
Epic Ride and Mugatu will only draw in, in that order of priority, if horses scratch from the main field before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, when Kentucky Derby betting begins.
The morning line can be a great guide to which horses are expected to take betting action or not. However, it is no guarantee of a price on track since those odds don’t become final until the race begins. It is better to bet the Kentucky Derby at an online racebook since they let you lock in the best price at the moment you bet.
These are the Kentucky Derby odds at the top of the market, at the best Florida racebooks:
Two of the horses near the top of the 2024 Kentucky Derby market are worth a long look: Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom.
Sierra Leone impressed in his final prep, the Blue Grass (G1): he made a menacing run around the far turn and sustained it well in the lane, showing the stamina a good Derby contender needs. Pace will be in his favor: with Dornoch gunning from the rail, Track Phantom strapping on blinkers, and Fierceness pressing the issue? It’s a perfect setup for a top-class closer. The biggest drawback is the 2 gate, a recipe for traffic, though as a closer he may avoid it.
Catching Freedom is also emerging as a classy closer. He rallied to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) by a length over Honor Marie, and the pace should be even sharper in this race than that one. He also gets an excellent Kentucky Derby jockey: Flavien Prat has hit the board in five of his six Kentucky Derby attempts, meaning he always shows up.
Florida Derby (G1) winner Fierceness, the morning-line favorite, is brilliant on his best but tends to disappoint when things don’t quite go his way. Though the near-outside post is great -- he’s outside all the other speed unless Epic Ride draws in -- he faltered with a similarly good post in the easier Holy Bull (G3). In a 20-horse field with other strong speed, betting him as the favorite will be an underlay.
Forever Young is another horse near the top of the market who it makes sense to fade. He is undefeated in five starts and is perhaps the best Japan-based horse to start in the Kentucky Derby, but he hasn’t faced the upper echelon of American dirt horses. As one of the likely favorites, it makes sense to consider that the UAE Derby has never produced a horse to hit the board in the Derby.
The best bet in the 2024 Kentucky Derby is Honor Marie. As a horse who likes to come off the pace, he gets the right setup. Even though he has tables to turn on Catching Freedom, the Louisiana Derby was an improvement from his seasonal debut. Honor Marie blossomed into his best third off the lay last year, and that’s where he is in his form cycle right now. He also comes off a strong work over the local course.
Honor Marie also has an excellent stamina pedigree: by A.P. Indy son Honor Code out of a classy Smart Strike half to a Group 1 winner at 1 ¾ miles, the extra distance should play to his best. For a horse who drew so well and is likely going to be double digits on the board, there is much to like.
Two horses to remember for exotics include Encino and Just Steel. Encino gets a class test but he drew a cozy middle gate, has good pace versatility, proved himself on dirt in the Lexington, and has a pedigree that is nothing but classic dirt stamina. Just Steel was second in three of the four Arkansas points races, and should be able to chase behind the speed and hang on for a piece.
With your betting account set up at a top Florida sportsbook, and your newly acquired knowledge about the top contenders, there’s just one thing left to do: get betting! These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2024 Kentucky Derby:
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