The Triple Crown series begins Saturday, May 4 with the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs! The most famous horse race in America celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2024, and 20 of the best three-year-olds in America will line up to race 1 ¼ miles for a $5 million purse, the blanket of roses, and a place in horse racing history.
Whether you’re experienced at betting Thoroughbred horse races or you’re trying it for the first time, you cannot miss the Kentucky Derby. The field is the biggest you’ll see in an American race all year, and the challenging distance means you’ll always see longshots rise to the occasion alongside more expected horses.
This is the right place to find out who to bet in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and the best places to bet the Kentucky Derby online in Louisiana!
You can be a part of the Kentucky Derby action from right here in Louisiana by betting the race at a trusted online horse betting site! Though there are many options for betting online, our expert reviews will help you cut through the noise and find the best places to bet the Kentucky Derby online. All of our recommended racebooks have market-leading odds, trusted payouts, and great user interfaces.
All of our recommended sites also offer great online betting bonuses that you’ll never find at the track. These include deposit and sign-up bonuses, referral benefits, and even rebates that pay you for every bet you make! Online betting sites also offer fixed-odds wagering on major races, meaning you can lock in your price just by placing a bet!
Take a few minutes now to choose the right site for you, and build your Kentucky Derby bankroll faster than ever!
Kentucky Derby Contenders
The official field for the 2024 Kentucky Derby with post positions, jockeys and trainers, and morning lines is:
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.
Keep in mind that the morning line odds can be helpful to gauge which horses are expected to take betting money or not, but they are not guarantees for prices. Odds on track fluctuate until post time. That is why betting the Kentucky Derby online is better: you can lock in the best price on your pick just by placing a bet, and know exactly what you’ll get when your horse wins.
These are the prices on leading contenders at top online racebooks for Louisiana bettors:
Among the runners at the top of the markets, take a long look at Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom. The pace should be hot with Dornoch, Track Phantom, and Fierceness forcing the issue, and these two are going to be able to conserve energy early and make a smart late run. Sierra Leone, the likely second favorite, also proved while winning the Blue Grass (G1) that he can get going fairly early and sustain a menacing run.
Catching Freedom, the Louisiana Derby (G2) winner, was beaten by Sierra Leone in the Risen Star (G2) but took a nice step forward in the final New Orleans prep. He rallied well to beat the talented Honor Marie by a length, and he has the ability and pedigree to handle the 1 ¼ miles of the Derby as well.
Bet against Fierceness and Forever Young. Fierceness will be the favorite, and is brilliant at best, but in a 20-horse field things typically don’t go perfectly and he tends to fold when things don’t go perfectly. Forever Young is undefeated in five starts, but has not faced truly top dirt horses yet and he comes out of the UAE Derby (G2) - a race from which no horse has hit the board in Kentucky.
Honor Marie is the best bet in the Kentucky Derby. Even though the 20-1 morning line is a pipe dream, anything around 12-1 or bigger is generous for all the upside he brings to the table.
He has a length to make up on Catching Freedom in the Louisiana Derby, but the race was a nice step up from his fifth in the Risen Star. Last year Honor Marie found his best in the third start of his campaign, exactly where he is in the form cycle for the Kentucky Derby. He has closed well into paces not quite as hot as the Derby’s stands to be, giving him room to improve on that end as well.
He is a graded-stakes winner over Churchill Downs and posted a good local work, meaning there is a chance Churchill is just where he finds his best. And, finally, Honor Marie’s pedigree is all stamina: he is by stoutly bred A.P. Indy son Honor Code out of a Smart Strike half to Rule of Law -- winner of the St. Leger (G1) at 1 ¾ miles.
For exotics, make sure to keep the well-drawn pair of Encino and Just Steel in mind. Encino comes out of uncommon preps, but he proved his dirt ability in the Lexington (G3), he can win from on or off the pace, and everything about his pedigree screams classic dirt stamina. Just Steel ran third in three of four points races in Arkansas, and his 11-race career means he has the seasoning to handle the hectic Kentucky Derby.
You have set up your betting account at the best Louisiana racebook for you, and gotten to know the major contenders. There is only one thing left to do: bet the race! These are the expert best bets for the 2024 Kentucky Derby:
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On Friday at Churchill Downs, the graded stakes action will begin with the $300,000 La Troienne Stakes. Restricted to fillies and mares, the Grade 1 will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven.
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