The 144th running of the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:50pm Eastern time on Saturday, from Churchill Downs, with the broadcast set for NBC. The track at Churchill Downs is 1 ¼ miles long, and the race takes just about two minutes to carry off. Many sports betting enthusiasts refer to this as “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.” The winner will head off to the Preakness Stakes in a storm of media attention as horse racing enthusiasts are always curious to see if this year’s winner will pull off victories at those two races as well as the Belmont Stakes. Take a look at the Kentucky Derby odds for the race below, as well as our picks for the exacta, trifecta and superfecta draws.
Exacta, Trifecta & Superfecta Picks for the 2018 Kentucky Derby
In case you’re wondering what these terms mean, an “exacta” bet lists the horses that will finish first (win) and second (place) in order. A “trifecta” picks the first (win), second (place) and third (show) winners, and a “superfecta” picks the first four slots. You can “box” any of those three bets, which means you pick two, three, or four horses (depending on the bet) and as long as those are the horses that finish in the top two, three or four, the order doesn’t matter. The payoff is significantly less with a boxed bet, though.
Post Horse Odds
1 Firenze Fire 50/1
2 Free Drop Billy 30/1
3 Promises Fulfilled 30/1
4 Flameaway 30/1
5 Audible 8/1
6 Good Magic 12/1
7 Justify 3/1
8 Lone Sailor 50/1
9 Hofburg 20/1
10 My Boy Jack 30/1
11 Bolt d’Oro 8/1
12 Enticed 30/1
13 Bravazo 50/1
14 Mendelssohn 5/1
15 Instilled Regard 50/1
16 Magnum Moon 6/1
17 Solomini 30/1
18 Vino Rosso 12/1
19 Noble Indy 30/1
20 Combatant 50/1
Does wagering an exacta, trifecta or superfecta pay off?
Let’s look at 2017, when the favorite (Always Dreaming) won, but 33-1 Lookin at Lee, came in second, and Battle of Midway (40-1) came in third. If you put down a $2 exacta, you made $336.20, while a $1 trifecta bet brought you $8,297.20. If you got the fourth place horse right too, you made $75,974.50 on your $1 bet.
Win: Justify
Yes, if Justify can win, it will end “Apollo’s Curse” — a streak dating all the way back to 1882. Apollo made it to the winner’s circle that year despite not racing competitively as a two-year-old, but no Kentucky Derby winner has failed to compete at that age since. However, Justify did win at the Santa Anita Derby in April, as well as two other preparatory races, taking those three races by a combined 19 lengths, and that win at Santa Anita saw him edge out Bolt d’Oro. Sitting at the #7 position, he should have a simple path to the rail, and he likes to get to the front and hold on. His trainer, Bob Baffert, has three Kentucky Derby winners in his past, and he believes that Justify has the stuff of champions. His jockey, Mike Smith, won the Kentucky Derby in 2005 while riding Giacomo, and has three other Triple Crown race wins as well.
Place: Hofburg
Hofburg looks a lot like Big Brown, the winner from 2008, who also came to win from an outside post position — and only had three races in his resume as well. Hofburg was the runner-up in March at the Florida Derby, and his training shows that he can come back from the rear of the back and win in the last gasps of the race. Coming from that outside position will keep him from overtaking Justify, but he should surge just enough to come in second.
Show: Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn has an impressive bloodline, sired by Scat Daddy (as was Justify) and out of Leslie’s Lady, who was the 2016 broodmare of the year in Kentucky. He was the most expensive yearling in 2016, going for $3 million to Coolmore Stud in Ireland. He would win the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Turf in 2017, as well as the UAE Derby at the Dubai World Cup, a race he would win by 18 lengths. However, nine UAE Derby winners have started in the Kentucky Derby since 2000, but none have cracked the top five. Mendelssohn looks to end that drought.
Fourth Place: Bolt d’Oro
This fighter has won four wins in six events, including two wins at the Grade 1 level. His sire, Medaglia d’Oro, brought forth seven winners of Grade 1 races in 2017. Bolt d’Oro’s finish at Santa Anita was particularly impressive, as he completed the last ⅜-mile in under 38 seconds. He should have plenty of energy to close fast at the Kentucky Derby as well.
