2023 Kentucky Derby: Where To Watch, What The Betting Odds Are And How Sportsbooks Are Making It Easier To Bet

The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place this weekend and will be one of the most discussed and bet-on sporting events of the year. Here’s a look at what bettors and readers need to know.

How to Watch 2023 Kentucky Derby: The 2023 Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The race will air on NBC, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and the Peacock streaming app, with coverage beginning at 12 p.m. ET and continuing until 7:30 p.m. ET.

Several races will take place before the Kentucky Derby begins at the historic Churchill Downs — a racetrack owned by Churchill Downs — at 6:57 p.m. ET.

Comcast Corporation, the owner of NBC and Peacock, also owns the rights to televise the 2023 Preakness Stakes. The second leg of the Triple Crown will be televised on May 20. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, will be televised on Fox Sports, a unit of Fox Corporation. 

Betting Odds: Here is a look at the horses in the field and their betting odds at the time of writing:

• 1. Hit Show: 34-1
• 2. Verifying: 22-1
• 3. Two Phil’s: 8-1
• 4. Confidence Game: 17-1
• 5. Tapit Trice: 5-1
• 6. Kingsbarns: 12-1
• 7. Reincarnate: 15-1
• 8. Mage: 18-1
• 9. Skinner: scratched
• 10. Practical Move: scratched
• 11. Disarm: 31-1
• 12. Jace’s Road: 37-1
• 13. Sun Thunder: 32-1
• 14. Angel of Empire: 5-1
• 15. Forte: 9-2
• 16. Raise Cain: 36-1
• 17. Derma Sotogake: 8-1
• 18. Rocket Can: 34-1
• 19. Lord Miles: scratched
• 20. Continuar: scratched
• 21. Cyclone Mischief: 45-1
• 22. Mandarin Hero: 29-1
• 23. King Russell: 44-1

Related Link: Why The Kentucky Derby Favorite Could Be A Winning Strategy Saturday 

How to Bet: There are many ways to bet on the Kentucky Derby. The most common way is to bet on a horse as a win, place, or show, which is the equivalent of a horse finishing in first, second or third.

Bettors can also use exactas and trifectas, which predict the finishing order of the top two and top three horses respectively.

With a full day of races, there will also be bets like the Daily Double, Pick 3 and more. 

TwinSpires, Churchill Downs' horse race betting platform, is expected to see strong betting action on Saturday.

Other sports-betting operators have added horse races to their offerings. 

FanDuel, a unit of Flutter Entertainment PDYPY and the official sports wagering partner of the Kentucky Derby, will offer betting odds. It is also offering a “$20 No Sweat Bet” for all new customers.

For the first time, DraftKings Inc DKNG, which announced a partnership with TwinSpires in 2022 to power its DK Horse platform, will allow its customers to bet on the Kentucky Derby. In a recent interview, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins told Benzinga the company was looking forward to its latest offering.

“Having everything that people want is of critical importance. Our goal is to have things others don’t’ have,” Robins told Benzinga. “(Our users) won’t see any reason to go elsewhere, unless if we don’t have something they want.”

Last year, Caesars Entertainment CZR partnered with the New York Racing Association for the Caesars Racebook. The offering allows users the ability to bet on horse racing events at hundreds of race tracks worldwide.

Following the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs reported that, altogether, $273.8 million was placed in bets on the 14 races. It marked a record high and an increase of 9% from the previous record set in 2019. Wagers on the main Kentucky Derby race alone made up $179 million — also an all-time record.

On the other hand, TwinSpires reported wagers of $44 million from the 2022 Kentucky Derby, up 8% year-over-year and a company record. Total wagers for the entire program amounted to $67.4 million in 2022, setting a new record.

For more on the sports betting landscape and what could be next for popular betting segments and legislation, tune in to the Benzinga Sports Betting Titans virtual event on May 24.

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