Kentucky Derby Betting Sites & Event Review: Payouts, Bonuses and more

Our look at Kentucky Derby Betting will analyse every aspect of the great North American race. We will tell you everything you need to know, including the races’ odds levels, the bonuses and promotions on offer, as well as some interesting facts and historical info. Read the rest of this in-depth page for your complete overview of “The Run for the Roses”.

Kentucky Derby Betting Offers & Promotions

As one of the greatest races in North America, bookmakers naturally create a bunch of great deals in order to entice first-time bettors. Online Betting may be illegal in most American states, but for UK bettors, the Kentucky Derby represents lots of great value offers. Common offers are price boosts, money back if your horse doesn’t finish, and even payouts if your horse pays fifth or eighth. A great idea for betting on the Kentucky Derby is having a go with a superfecta bet. Needing only to guess the top four horses in the correct order, a simple $1 bet can make you huge sums of money. For example, this year’s Superfecta payout was an astonishing $75,974.50. Take your time looking across all bookmakers in order to find a deal that you think is right for you.

Kentucky Derby Odds Prices

The Kentucky Derby is a huge event, so naturally the odds prices are going to reflect that. As a statement on its stature, many bookmakers look to increase the odds levels far higher than a normal race in order to compete with each other. When looking for that perfect horse to back in the race, it is worth considering several different bookmakers before making a choice; this is so you can find the best possible value for your money.

Some Interesting Facts

There are many traditions associated with The Kentucky Derby. From 1935 onwards, the Kentucky Derby Festival was invented to precede the horse race by two weeks. The single largest annual event in the eponymous state, it includes a balloon race, a steamboat race, the biggest fireworks display in North America, the Pegasus Parade, a marathon, and a basketball championship. During the race itself, patrons traditionally drink a mint julep; a combination of bourbon, mint and sugar syrup; and eat burgoo, a thick stew which is common in Kentucky.

Event Information:
Inaugurated:	1875	Kentucky Derby logo Successful trainer, Ben A. Jones
Distance:	1 1/4 miles
Surface:	Dirt
Track:	Left-handed
Weight:	55 – 57.2kg
Qualification:	Three-year-old thoroughbreds

A lot of people attend the race, not so much to enjoy the horses rushing down the track, but to party instead. Conversely, the rich and famous buy seats at “Millionaire’s Row,” with prime views of the track. Men wear their best suits, and women wear extravagant hats. These guests are usually flown in via private jet towards Louisville International Airport.

When the horses are paraded in front of the grandstands, Stephen Foster’s “My Kentucky Old Home” is played by the University of Louisville Marching Band. And when the winner crosses the finish line he is presented with a blanket of 554 red roses. This tradition is said to date back all the way to 1883, although official records say it started in 1896. In commemoration of this event, Dan Fogelberg composed the pop song “Run For The Roses” in 1980. Composed in only two days, it peaked at no.18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Historical Info

The race’s origins do not start in North American, but Europe in 1872. Col. Meriwther Lewis, Jr made the trip by boat to England and visited the Epsom Derby, which had been running since 1870. Afterwards he moved to Paris and visited the Grand Prix De Paris in Longchamp. From visiting these two prestigious meets, he decided to build a high quality racecourse of his own back in Kentucky; thus raising the necessary money to build the Churchill Downs. The first race began in 1875, with fifteen horses taking to the field; creating a tradition which has captured the minds and imaginations of Americans ever since.

The Kentucky Derby is part of the Triple Crown of American racing, also consisting of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. Only 12 horses have ever won all three races, the most recent of which, American Pharoah, also became the first horse to win the Grand Slam, which is the Triple Crown plus the Breeder’ Cup Classic. No horse has ever won the race itself twice, although the legendary Secretariat recorded the fastest time in a remarkable 1 minute and 59.40 seconds, one of only two horses to finish the race in under two minutes, the other being Monarchos in 2001.