As 2021 returns to normalcy, sports bettors the world over are getting ready to wager on the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Unlike last year, when the Triple Crown races were held out of order, this year’s 147th Run for the Roses is back in front, and the gate draws – and early betting odds – have been posted by Churchill Downs.
The current roster of ponies and their official opening odds are listed below, with their Kentucky Derby post positions in parentheses.
Offshore horse futures odds are also included in the American moneyline format so you can compare each Thoroughbred’s domestic and international payouts.
And remember, offshore Derby futures are not pari-mutuel in nature like domestic odds are, allowing you to lock in your payouts as soon as your wagers are placed.
2021 Kentucky Derby Betting Odds
Via Churchill Downs, Bovada Racebook
- Essential Quality (14): 2-1, +275
- Rock Your World (15): 5-1, +475
- Known Agenda (1): 6-1, +750
- Hot Rod Charlie (9): 8-1, +800
- Highly Motivated (17): 10-1, +1200
- Mandaloun (7): 15-1, +2200
- Medina Spirit (8): 15-1, +1400
- Besos (6): 20-1, +2800
- Dynamic One (11): 20-1, +3500
- King Fury (16): 20-1, +4000
- Midnight Bourbon (10): 20-1, +2200
- Bourbonic (20): 30-1, +4000
- Soup And Sandwich (19): 30-1, +2500
- Super Stock (18): 30-1, +2500
- Brooklyn Strong (3): 50-1, +5500
- Helium (12): 50-1, +5000
- Hidden Stash (13): 50-1, +5000
- Keepmeinmind (4): 50-1, +6500
- Like The King (2): 50-1, +6000
- Sainthood (5): 50-1, +4500
Most of the offshore odds for each Derby horse offer substantially better payouts than their domestic counterparts, which is great news for bettors who choose to gamble with legal international racebooks.
Of course, if you want to take advantage of these valuable Kentucky Derby odds, you’ll need to be sure you get your legal sports betting account topped off with a suitable – and suitably fast – bet funding method.
While different online racebooks allow for different banking options, each of the top sites support Bitcoin betting and various other cryptocurrency deposits, which is what we recommend.
If you’re betting on horses at Bovada, of course, you can also take advantage of Bovada Vouchers, which allow you to use person-to-person (or P2P) services like PayPal, Venmo, and more.
Bovada also offers a $250 Sign-Up Bonus that can be applied to horse racing betting, which is something no other operator allows.
That said, horseplayers are a traditional lot with traditional mentalities, so crypto, P2P apps, and eWallets might not be the most familiar or comfortable options.
In that case, you can deposit with Visa and Mastercard at most sites, while others also accept American Express and Discover.
Of these, we recommend Mastercard, AmEx, or Discover, as they have slightly higher success rates when navigating around federal UIGEA banking regulations.
Other methods like bank wires, cashier’s checks, and money orders are viable, but you need to load up your betting account now, and such deposits won’t clear in time for Saturday’s big race.
The 2021 Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, on Saturday, May 1, with a start time of approximately 6:57 PM EST.
Kentucky Derby 2021 coverage begins on NBC at 2:30 PM EST.
