Get in on the action with this primer designed for the faithful as well as the newcomer, with almost everything you ever wanted to know about the Kentucky Derby. Like how to pick your ponies, how to stay hydrated during the festivities, and how jockeys size up to other athletes, among other pressing questions. Ride on, my friends. And enjoy. Here’s a look at the one, the only, the Kentucky Derby.
So you don’t know your quiniela from a superfecta. No worries. This quick guide will break down and de-jargon a few betting terms that’ll give you the inside track.
You’re betting on two horses to come in first and second in an exact order. Exacta bets are popular among skilled horse handicappers because the payoff can be very lucrative. You can also “box” your exacta bet, which means your two horses can finish in any order in the top two spots and you still win. Boxing an exacta costs twice as much as a straight exacta bet. So a $2 box exacta on horses 3 and 5 will cost you $4.
You’re betting on two horses to come in first and second in any order. As long as your two horses finish in the top two spots, you win. So if you placed a $2 quiniela bet on horses 1 and 6, you can collect if horse 1 and horse 6 come in first and second in any order. The payout for a box exacta is generally more than a quiniela bet.
You bet that three horses will finish in first, second, and third in an exact order. You can also box your trifecta bet so you can win if your three horses come in first, second, and third in any order. Boxing a trifecta will significantly increase the cost of your bet because there are many combinations. So a $2 box trifecta bet will actually cost you $12 or a $1 trifecta boxed will cost you $6.
You bet that four horses will finish first, second, third, and fourth in an exact order. As with exactas and trifectas, you can box a superfecta at an additional cost. The minimum bet is often 10 cents, which makes it more appealing to many people.
Win the Derby and you’re golden. No, literally. The Derby trophy is believed to be the only solid gold trophy that is annually awarded to the winner of a major U.S. sporting event. Topped by an 18-karat gold horse and rider, the handcrafted prize stands at 22 inches tall and weighs in at 3.5 pounds, excluding its jade base. Since 1975 the trophy has been created by New England Sterling located in Attleboro, MA. To complete it by April, craftsmen begin the process during the fall of the previous year and work thousands of hours making the trophy.
Why is it called the “Run for the Roses”? Mostly because the Derby winner is awarded a lush blanket of no fewer than 554 red roses each year. Pretty nice, huh? It started back in 1883 when New York socialite E. Berry Wall presented roses to ladies at a post-Derby party that was attended by Churchill Downs founder and president Col. M. Lewis Clark, Jr. This gesture is believed to have led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race’s official flower. However, it wasn’t until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner. The governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy.
When it comes to sports, hydration is critical. So be sure to keep the fluids flowing with the Derby’s official beverage (since 1938), the mint julep. Here’s how you can make your own:
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Kentucky whiskey. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Mmmm. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
So you don’t know your bridge jumper from a superfecta. No worries. Picking ponies is one part science and a whole lot of luck. But with these basic tips, you’ll be better equipped to pick your winning horses. That said, good luck.
You have your eye on a horse, so you check its past performance in the program. It looks like he’s been consistently coming in first and second, but you notice that his previous races have all been at lower levels. While it’s great that this horse has been bumped up a class, in this particular race he might be outclassed by the other horses who have experience in performing at the higher level. So you might want to think twice about betting on this bad boy.
Horses perform differently on different surfaces. If a horse has performed well only on dirt and the track you’re at is an all-weather course, you might consider eliminating him from your list of possible picks.
If a jockey consistently places in first, second, or third no matter what horse he or she is riding, ‘nuff said. Go for it.
If you’re looking for an easy way to handicap horses that offers a good chance of a small return on your investment, just bet the race favorite to show. Otherwise, this is a good rule of thumb:
• Bet the race favorite to win, he pays off 33% of the time
• Bet the race favorite to place (comes in first or second), the favorite pays off 53% of the time
• Bet the race favorite to show (comes in first, second, or third), the favorite pays off 67% of the time
Go over to the paddock and take a gander at the horse. Is he sweating a lot? That probably means that the horse is nervous, so you might want to pass on him. Some horses will act very jittery in the paddock — turning in circles, biting, rearing. While it’s a sign that the horse has some spunk, he’s wasting all his energy in the paddock instead of saving it for the race. Play it smart: go with the alert, but calm, horse.
In the world of high-performance Thoroughbred racing, it doesn’t get any better than the Kentucky Derby. The 11⁄4-mile race at the fabled Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, takes place on the first Saturday in May and caps off the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is the first — and second-longest — leg of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and is followed by the Preakness Stakes (13⁄16-mile) and Belmont Stakes (11⁄2-mile). It’s two minutes of guts for nothing but glory (and a prize).
Thoroughbred horses have some of the most colorful names around. Having trouble coming up with your own? Rest easy.
Simply tap the sliders below, and this handy name generator will serve up the perfect name for your pony.
Watch the Kentucky Derby May 1st through May 4th only on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network.
| Kentucky Derby Draw | Wednesday, May 1st | 5:00pm–6:00pm | NBC Sports Network |
| Kentucky Derby Access | Thursday, May 2nd | 5:00pm–6:00pm | NBC Sports Network |
| Kentucky Oaks | Friday, May 3rd | 5:00pm–6:00pm | NBC Sports Network |
| Kentucky Derby Prep | Saturday, May 4th | 11:00am–4:00pm | NBC Sports Network |
| Kentucky Derby Race | Saturday, May 4th | 4:00pm–7:00pm | NBC |
| Kentucky Derby Post | Saturday, May 4th | 7:00pm–7:30pm | NBC Sports Network |
