2019 Kentucky Derby Betting Guide - (2025)

Churchill Downs has come out with the wagering menu for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. The Run for the Roses will be Race 12 on Saturday, May 4. Check out the different Kentucky Derby betting picks that you can make involving on May 4th!

2019 Kentucky Derby Betting Guide

Study Up!#KyDerbyhttps://t.co/nWSIxFs0In

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 30, 2019

Win, Place, Show

Win – Win simply means to put money on a horse to win the race. If you like chalk Omaha Beach at 4/1, bet on Omaha Beach to win.

Place – The word place is used to describe a wager on a horse to finish second. If you like a horse like Spinoff to run well at 30/1, but you’re not sure he’ll win, put a few bucks on him to place

With a place bet, you win your wager if the horse finishes first or second.

Show – A show wager is betting on a horse to finish third. However, the horse only must finish first, second, or third for you to win your wager. Show wagers often don’t pay much but because there are so many horses in the Derby, the show horse often does pay way beyond what’s normal to finish third.

Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta

Exacta – An exacta wager is a bet on the top two finishers in a horse race. There are a couple of ways to bet an exacta. The first way is to use a key horse. Let’s say you love Game Winner to win on Saturday. You would play an exacta with Game Winner over two or three horses you believe will finish second to Game Winner.

The other way to bet the exacta is to box the horses you like to finish first or second. If you like Game Winner and Roadster to finish first or second, but you’re not sure in what order, you can box Roadster and Game Winner. A $2 exacta box with two horses will cost you $4.

Trifecta – The trifecta wager picks the first, second, and third place finishers. The same keying principle for the exacta works for the trifecta. A $1 trifecta box with 3 horses will cost $6. A $2 trifecta box with 3 horses will cost $12. The cost is calculated by the number of combinations in each box multiplied by the wager base.

Superfecta – The superfecta is a wager where you pick the first, second, third, and fourth place horses. Superfecta wagering can get incredibly costly. If you try to box a superfecta, you could be wasting money. A 4 horse, $1 superfecta box will cost you $24. Add a single horse to the box and the cost jumps to $120.

Find your key Derby horse if you wish to wager on the superfecta on Saturday. Don’t try to hit the superfecta by boxing horses.

Daily Double Races 11-12 and Races 12-13

The daily double simply means picking a winner in one race and then picking the winner in the race right after.

Churchill Downs has rolling doubles on Saturday. The Kentucky Derby will be a part of two double wagers: Races 11-12 and Races 12-13. Race 11 is the Old Forester Turf Classic while Race 13 is a $75,000 Allowance Optional Claimer.

If you’ve got a strong opinion about a Derby horse, you could use your Derby choice along with a few choices in Race 11. Or, you could key your Derby horse over a few choices in Race 13. Or, you could do both and play both available double wagers that involve the Kentucky Derby.

Pick 3

A pick 3 is where you choose the winners of three consecutive races. If you wish to play a pick 3 that ends with the Kentucky Derby, your pick 3 would include Races 10, 11, and 12.

If you wish to play a pick 3 with the Derby as the second race, your pick 3 would include Races 11, 12, and 13. If you want to play a pick 3 that starts with the Derby, your pick 3 would include Races 12, 13, and 14.

Pick 4 Starting in Race 9

A pick 4 wager is one where you choose the winners of four consecutive races. The first pick 4 that includes the Kentucky Derby on Saturday starts in Race 9:

• Race 9 – Grade 2 American Turf Stakes
• Race 10 – Grade 3 Pat Day Mile Stakes
• Race 11 – Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes
• Race 12 – Grade 1 Kentucky Derby

Pick 4 Starting in Race 11

Another pick 4 that includes the Derby starts in Race 11:

• Race 11 – Grade 1 Old Forester Stakes
• Race 12 – Grade 1 Kentucky Derby
• Race 13 – Allowance Optional Claiming $75,000
• Race 14 – Maiden Special Weight Purse $100,000

These are the wagers that are available either on the Kentucky Derby, or include the Kentucky Derby. Make sure to find a key horse if you play the superfecta, trifecta, pick 3, or pick 4 on Saturday.