Kentucky Derby Horse Racing Odds Explained: Different Than American Moneyline, Spread

Written By Matt Burke on May 6, 2023
Kentucky Derby horse racing odds moneyline spread line chart explained American fraction decimal

Sports betting is becoming more mainstream by the day in the US, and this year’s Kentucky Derby will be one of the most wagered-on horse races in history. Novice sports bettors in the states used to the standard American moneyline and spread when betting on football and basketball may initially be perplexed by horse racing odds. Horse racing odds, though, are pretty straightforward in that they show the amount of profit on a bet in relation to the amount invested. For instance, if you made a $2 win bet on a horse at 2-1 odds and that horse won – you would profit $4 and also get the original $2 back for a payout of $6.

Still confused? Here we will provide a chart to show the payouts for standard horse racing odds and also potential payouts as they pertain to Kentucky Derby betting odds for this year’s race.

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Horse racing odds explained: Payout chart

Horse racing odds are best explained by using a $2 win bet. Here are standard horse racing odds and how they would pay out.

OddsPayout
1-5$2.40
2-5$2.80
1-2$3.00
3-5$3.20
4-5$3.60
1-1$4.00
6-5$4.40
7-5$4.80
3-2$5.00
8-5$5.20
9-5$5.60
2-1$6.00
5-2$7.00
3-1$8.00
7-2$9.00
4-1$10.00
9-2$11.00
5-1$12.00
6-1$14.00
7-1$16.00
8-1$18.00
9-1$20.00
10-1$22.00
15-1$32.00
20-1$42.00
30-1$62.00
50-1$102.00

Kentucky Derby odds with potential payout

And here are Kentucky Derby odds with their potential payout.

HorseOddsKentucky Derby Payouts
Hit Show30-1$62.00
Verifying15-1$32.00
Two Phil's15-1$32.00
Confidence Game20-1$42.00
Tapit Trice 5-1$12.00
Kingsbarns10-1$22.00
Reincarnate50-1$102.00
Mage15-1$32.00
Skinner20-1$42.00
Disarm30-1$62.00
Jace's Road50-1$102.00
Sun Thunder 50-1$102.00
Angel of Empire8-1$18.00
Raise Cain50-1$102.00
Derma Sotogake10-1$22.00
Rocket Can30-1$62.00
Cyclone Mischief30-1$62.00
Mandarin Hero20-1$42.00
King Russell50-1$102.00

Kentucky Derby wagering strategy

You’ll definitely want to keep in mind post position when betting on any horse race, particularly the Kentucky Derby with its large field of 20 horses. With so many participants in the race, there is a ton of contact between horses – particularly the horses that are on the inside.

According to KentuckyDerby.com, seven of the last 10 Kentucky Derby winners started the race from post 13 or wider. That said, post 5 has produced the most Run for the Roses winners at 10.

Post 15 has been a hot one recently as Orb (2013), American Pharoah (2015) and Authentic (2020) have all been victorious coming out of that spot.

TheLines’ Free Kentucky Derby Challenge: Hit A Trifecta To Win $100 Amazon Gift Card

Matt Burke Avatar
Written by
Matt Burke

Matt Burke is the Managing Editor of Evergreen Content at TheLines.com. He is the Founder and former Editor-in-Chief of MetroBet, a digital and print sports betting platform, and was the Executive Sports Editor at Metro US Newspapers (New York, Philadelphia, Boston) from 2014-2020. Matt has covered Super Bowls and Final Fours, and his work has appeared for Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, The Eagle Tribune, Gloucester Daily Times and Newburyport Daily News. Matt is a graduate of the University of Connecticut.

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