The Kentucky Derby is a race with a rich history and it is the first leg of the fabled Triple Crown of US Racing. The race is run every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It is a Grade 1 contest for three year old fillies, colts and geldings. The Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes are the other two legs of the Triple Crown and Justify was the 13th horse to win all three in 2025.
In this Kentucky Derby betting guide you will find a wealth of useful information on one of the world’s biggest horse races. We look back at some of the past winners, and we look forward to the 2019 Kentucky Derby. So, if you want to know more about one of the best attended races on the planet, keep on reading.
Top 5 Kentucky Derby Betting Sites
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Kentucky Derby Results – 2009 – 2025
|
Year |
Horse |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 2025 |
Justify |
Mike Smith |
Bob Baffert |
|
2017 |
Always Dreaming |
John Velazquez |
Todd Pletcher |
|
2016 |
Nyquist |
Mario Gutierrez |
Doug O’Neill |
|
2015 |
American Pharoah |
Victor Espinoza |
Bob Baffert |
|
2014 |
California Chrome |
Victor Espinoza |
Art Sherman |
|
2013 |
Orb |
Joel Rosario |
Claude McGaughey III |
|
2012 |
I’ll Have Another |
Mario Gutierrez |
Doug O’Neill |
|
2011 |
Animal Kingdom |
John Velazquez |
Graham Motion |
|
2010 |
Super Saver |
Calvin Borel |
Todd Pletcher |
|
2009 |
Mine That Bird |
Calvin Borel |
Bernie Wooley Jr |
Kentucky Derby Famous Past Winners
- Justify will go down as one of the best winners of all time as he went on to win the Triple Crown, only the 13th horse to do so.
- American Pharoah also completed the Triple Crown in 2015 for Bob Baffert, ending a 37 year wait since Affirmed won all three in 1978.
- Secretariat holds the record for the fastest ever Kentucky Derby win and he ended a 25 year wait by going on to complete the Triple Crown.
- Northern Dancer is undoubtedly the most influential winner of all time due to his fantastic record at stud afterwards.
- Calvin Borel set a record by winning three out of four between 2007-2010 and his triumph on Mine That Bird was a massive shock (2nd biggest priced winner ever at 51/1).
- The last filly to score in this race was Winning Colors in 1988, one of just three fillies to ever triumph in the Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby Facts And Records
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 race that is the pinnacle of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival. This race is run over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs on the dirt track at Churchill Downs. It is a contest where European horses have tended to struggle, Mendelssohn being the most recent example in 2025.
Bob Baffert has been a trainer to follow in recent years, winning it with Triple Crown heroes Justify in 2025 and American Pharoah in 2015. He could add to those wins if the betting market is accurate in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Below you will find some of the most important Kentucky Derby records and stats…
Kentucky Derby Facts and Stats
- The race was run over 1m 4f from 1875-1895 and over 1m 2f from 1896 onwards.
- Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack are the most successful Kentucky Derby jockeys with five wins each.
- The most successful Kentucky Derby trainer is Ben Jones with six wins between 1938-52.
- Calumet Farm are the most successful Kentucky Derby owners with eight wins between 1941-1968.
- The biggest priced Kentucky Derby winner of all time was Donerail in 1013 who scored at odds of 91/1.
- Only three horses have run the Kentucky Derby in 2 minutes flat or less: Northern Dancer (2.00.00, 1964); Monarchos (01.59.97, 2001); Secretatiat (01.59.40, 1973).
When and where is the Kentucky Derby held?
The Kentucky Derby is run every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racecourse. It is the climax of a two week long festival with a purse of US$2 million. The winner takes home a cool $1.425 Million and usually goes on have a long career at stud.
The 2019 Kentucky Derby will be held on May 4th and it is the best attended race of the season in the USA. In 2017, 158,070 punters were there to witness Always Dreaming win the Kentucky Derby and over $209 million was wagered on Derby day at Churchill Downs.
The fans play a huge part during the Kentucky Derby Festival and Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien was amazed at the attendance for the pre-race parade. The tipple of choice for many of those who attend the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep cocktail. You can bet that plenty of those will be consumed in 2019!
This race is a truly global event now, and if you are looking for betting advice, keep on scrolling to discover the most important trends and our tip for the 2019 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby Trends
No matter what the race, keeping an eye out for trends is key to finding winners. The Kentucky Derby is no exception and in this section we reveal some of the key Kentucky Derby trends. We concentrate on the last ten renewals of the race and looked for any trends or patterns that might help point us in the direction of the winner.
- Colts have a much better record than fillies in this race, with only three females winning the Kentucky Derby (the last was Winning Colours in 1988).
- Bob Baffert’s entries are always entitled to maximum respect and he has trained two of the last four winners.
- Doug O’Neill is another handler to follow with two wins since 2012.
- Victor Espinoza, John Velazquez and Mario Gutierrez have won six of the last eight renewals between them with two wins each.
Kentucky Derby Betting Sites
If you are looking for a top quality Kentucky Derby betting site you have a lot of options to choose from. Most bookies in the UK have odds available for the 2019 Kentucky Derby already and some will even allow you to stream the race live if you have a bet. When deciding which betting site to sign up with the quality of odds, sign up offer and frequency of promotions should be taken into account. Below are the three best Kentucky Derby betting sites as selected by the Sportsbetting24 panel of experts.
2019 Kentucky Derby Contenders
It is still early days as far as the 2019 Kentucky Derby is concerned, but ante-post odds are already available. The market has already started to take shape and William Hill have installed the unbeaten Game Winner as the favourite at odds of 8/1. He looks an obvious starting point for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, but he isn’t guaranteed to have it all his own way.
Sportsbetting24’s horse racing experts have studied the race and you can read their thoughts on some of the main contenders for the 2019 Kentucky Derby below.
Kentucky Derby 2019 Main Contenders: Game Winner
This unbeaten 2yo son of Candy Ride is trained by Bob Baffert who is no stranger to success in the Kentucky Derby. Game Winner was ultra impressive in 2025, winning all four of his starts. His final win of the season came at Churchill Downs in the Breeders Cup Juvenile and he ran out an impressive winner by over 2L under Joel Rosario.
The way he stayed on that day over 9f suggested that the step up in trip to 10f should pose no problems. Three of Game Winner’s four victories have come at Grade 1 level and he has looked the real deal on every start so far. However, a couple of the horses in behind him at Churchill Downs have let the form down since. For that reason alone, the 9/1 about his chances looks pretty skinny and at the prices, better value can be found elsewhere.
Kentucky Derby 2019 Ante-Post Odds: Game Winner @ 9/1
Kentucky Derby 2019 Main Contenders: Improbable
Bob Baffert has an extremely strong hand for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Improbable is another one of his inmates and he is next best in the betting at odds of 12/1. This son of City Zip is also unbeaten after three starts, but just one of his victories has come at the highest level. He has already proved he handles the dirt track at Churchill Downs, hosing up by 7L in a conditions race over a mile there on his second outing.
He made mincemeat of the field again on his last start in the 8.5f Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes. His pedigree suggests that he should relish the unique test of the Kentucky Derby as his grand dam is a half sister to former runner up Hard Spun. We think that odds of 12/1 are pretty generous and if Game Winner fluffs his lines, it would be no surprise if Improbable was there to pick up the pieces.
Kentucky Derby 2019 Ante-Post Odds: Improbable @ 12/1
Kentucky Derby 2019 Main Contenders: Instagrand
At odds of 20/1 Instagrand is another fascinating Kentucky Derby contender. Jerry Hollendorfer’s son of Into Mischief has destroyed his rivals on both starts so far, but his wins have come over 5f and 6f. Those displays proved he has no shortage of speed and that he can handle dirt. However, a big question mark remains over his stamina for the 10f Kentucky Derby.
His sire was a dual Grade 1 winner over 7f and a mile, while his dam was a 6f winner. She is related to a couple of winners at 9f but the lack of winners at further than that is a big worry. Hall of fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has yet to add the Kentucky Derby to his impressive CV and those who think he can end the drought with Instagrand can back him to do so at odds of 20/1.
Kentucky Derby 2019 Main Contenders: Coliseum
Bob Baffert trains the two market leaders for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, but in Coliseum he has another serious contender. This once raced son of top class sire Tapit bolted up on his debut over 7f at Del Mar. He was sent off the 1/2 favourite and he easily accounted for his stablemate Figure Eight by just under 7L under a hands and heels ride.
Coliseum showed an impressive turn of foot in the closing stages after tanking through the early part of the race and he won without feeling the warmth of the whip. The Kentucky Derby will represent a big step up in class and he will have to prove his stamina for the 10f trip. There is more speed than staying power in his pedigree, which is a worry. However, if he gets the distance he could be a danger to all.
2019 Ante-Post Kentucky Derby Tips
As can be seen from the above there are a number of horses that look to have live chances for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Game Winner looks a worthy favorite, but the form of his Breeders’ Cup win looks questionable and at his current odds he is passed over.
We were massively impressed by Coliseum on his debut and he looked a very special horse when winning easily at Del Mar. The dashing grey showed a very smart turn of foot and he hails from a yard that knows what it takes to win the Kentucky Derby. If he learns how to settle better, he could go extremely well and at odds of 20/1 he is the Sportsbetting24 ante post Kentucky Derby each way tip for 2019.
Kentucky Derby FAQs
Where is the Kentucky Derby run?
The Kentucky Derby is run every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2019 the race is due off at 6.50 pm local time (11.50pm UK time). The race is the highlight of a two week festival and usually attracts a huge crowd.
Where can I watch The Kentucky Derby?
If you want to watch the Kentucky Derby live you will have a number of options. At The Races may be losing the rights to Irish racing, but they will retain the rights for showing US racing. You will be able to watch it live there, or alternatively plenty of bookies stream the Kentucky Derby live. Paddy Power and bet365 will allow you to stream it live if you place a bet of just £1 on the race.
Where can I find the best Kentucky Derby Odds?
When you are placing a bet on any race it is vital to hunt down the best price possible. If you are looking to have an early bet on the 2019 Kentucky Derby you will have a number of options. At the present moment a good selection of UK betting sites have ante-post Kentucky Derby odds available. Those searching for the best value on the main contenders for the Kentucky Derby should check out bet365.