Kentucky Derby Betting Guide: Strategies, Statistics & Picks (Derby Week)

2025 Kentucky Derby Preview

This race is known as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" and was first run in 1875, the race is the first leg of the American Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby is followed by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to make up the three races.

It is a Group 1 race that is run at Churchill Down Racecourse in May of each year, open to three-year-old runners only, the race is run over a trip of one mile and two furlongs.

Kentucky Derby Picks

To see which runners the OLBG handicappers are tipping throughout the card that includes the Kentucky Derby, head over to the Churchill Downs Betting Picks on the day of the race, do they agree with the trends or are they predicting other runners? Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a wager on the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby Content

• Kentucky Derby Past Winners
• Kentucky Derby Trainer Statistics
• Kentucky Derby Jockey Statistics
• 2025 Kentucky Derby Trends
• Kentucky Derby Trend Analysis
• Other Graded races at Churchill Downs Racetrack

Quickest Run Kentucky Derby Renewals

Over the last 10 renewals, it was Authentic, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by John R Velazquez who set the fastest winning time in the Kentucky Derby, the runner won the race in a time of 2:00.61 when winning the race in 2020. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike E Smith with Justify who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 2:04.20 in the 2018 renewal. Below are the top three quickest-run Kentucky Derby over the last 10 renewals.

1. Authentic (2:00.61) in 2020
2. Mandaloun (2:01.02) in 2021
3. Nyquist (2:01.31) in 2016

Kentucky Derby Past Winners

Here are the Kentucky Derby past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the winning time, and the horse that won along with the cloth number, age, sex, the weight of the horse & which starting gate the horse came from. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Kentucky Derby as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the moneyline odds the horse was sent off.

Race Notes: Medina Spirit won the 2021 but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Kentucky Derby have been based:

• USA: 10 winners with an additional 19 placings from 169 runners
• CAN: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 9 runners
• JPN: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 7 runners
• GB: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
• IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
• SAF: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
• UAE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner

Kentucky Derby Trainer Statistics

The leading trainer in the Kentucky Derby over the last 10 renewals is Bob Baffert who has won the race 3 times. Those 3 winners came from American Pharoah (2015), Justify (2018) & Authentic (2020). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the Kentucky Derby, Steven Asmussen has sent a total of 13 runners to the race without recording any wins.

Here are some of the most active Kentucky Derby trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals.

Kentucky Derby Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Kentucky Derby over the last 10 renewals is John R Velazquez who has won the race 2 times. Those 2 winners came from Always Dreaming (2017) & Authentic (2020).

Here are some of the most active Kentucky Derby jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals.

Kentucky Derby Trend Analysis

How competitive is the Kentucky Derby market?

When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2023 when the race had an over-round of 122%. The race in 2020 was a race that was most in the bookie's favor with an over-round of 124%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Kentucky Derby, the over-round has been 122%, which means the bookie expects to pay out $100 for every $122 which is bet.

Post Positions of the Kentucky Derby Winners, Places & Shows

Here are the most recent winning draws along with those who placed and showed:

Best Course for a Kentucky Derby Prep Run?

The courses that have produced the most winners of the Kentucky Derby are Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park, there has been a total number of 3 winners from each of those courses.

Top Performing Stallions in the Kentucky Derby

Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Kentucky Derby, that stallion Into Mischief has produced 2 winners (2021,2020).

Worst Performing Stallions in the Kentucky Derby

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Kentucky Derby despite multiple attempts:

• Tapit (0 Wins from 11 runners)
• Candy Ride (0 Wins from 7 runners)
• Curlin (0 Wins from 7 runners)
• Giants Causeway (0 Wins from 5 runners)

Biggest Priced Winners of the Kentucky Derby & Performance of Favorites

Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Rich Strike in 2022, winning for Eric R Reed at odds of 81/1 under the guidance of Sonny Leon. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals there has been a total of 4 winning favorites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Kentucky Derby remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing handicappers on the best racing handicappers page. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs are based on the information that is available on the racing post.

Other Graded races at Churchill Downs racetrack

Here are some other notable races at the Churchill Downs racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.

Races in May (Derby Week)

• Churchill Downs Stakes
• Derby City Distaff Stakes
• Kentucky Oaks
• La Troienne Stakes
• Turf Classic Stakes

Races in November

• Clark Stakes

Kentucky Derby FAQs

Where is the Kentucky Derby run?

The Kentucky Derby is run at the Churchill Downs racetrack each year, you can get Churchill Downs racing predictions all season long as well as for the Kentucky Derby.

When is the Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby takes place around May of each year at Churchill Downs.

Who won the Kentucky Derby?

The 2024 renewal of the Kentucky Derby was won by the Kenneth McPeek trained Mystik Dan who was ridden by Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr in a time of 2:03.34, owned by Lance Gasaway 4 G Racing Llc Et Al it was sent off at an SP of 186/10. You can view all the recent winners in the Kentucky Derby Past Winners section of the blog.

Who will win the Kentucky Derby?

On the day of the race, use the trends in this blog and then compare them to the OLBG racing handicappers' predictions for the Kentucky Derby, you can do this on the Churchill Downs Picks page which not only will have picks for this race but also picks for Churchill Downs throughout the season. You may also be interested in the Horse Racing Picks page where you can get daily horse racing predictions from all of the US courses.

Who is the top trainer in the Kentucky Derby?

With a total of three winners over the last ten renewals, it is Bob Baffert who holds the claim as the leading trainer in the Kentucky Derby. To see which other trainers have a good record in the race, head over to the Kentucky Derby Trainer Statistics section of the blog.

Who is the top jockey in the Kentucky Derby?

With a total of two winners over the last ten renewals, it is John R Velazquez who holds the claim as the leading jockey in the Kentucky Derby. To see which other jockeys have a good record in the race, head over to the Kentucky Derby Jockey Statistics section of the blog.

Do we have trends for the 2025 renewal of the Kentucky Derby?

The simple answer is Yes! We have a total of fifteen trends for the Kentucky Derby which can be found under the Kentucky Derby Trends section.