Kentucky Derby: How to bet $100 on the Run for the Roses
Without a strong favorite in this year's race, there are some interesting opportunities to make money.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With 20 horses and so many different kinds of bets offered on the Kentucky Derby, it’s often hard to know where to begin. But without a strong favorite this year, there are some interesting opportunities to make money — if we’ve handicapped the race well.
In general, the Kentucky Derby makes more sense if you can break the race down into tiers. The Tier A horses that I think are most likely to win the race, in order of preference, are Emerging Market, So Happy, Chief Wallabee, Further Ado, The Puma and Commandment. Given that Emerging Market is my overall pick to win the race , I’m going to key him in several exotic bets and give myself a chance to win something if he finishes anywhere in the top three.
Emerging Market trains on the track during morning workouts ahead of the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 30, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Michael Reaves via Getty Images The Tier B horses that I believe have an outside shot to win are Renegade, Potente and Danon Bourbon. The Tier C horses that I think could hit the board and juice up trifecta or superfecta payouts are Incredibolt and Golden Tempo.
For betting purposes, I’m going to just toss everyone else. With a $100 bankroll to bet the Derby, you have to make some choices and I see a pretty big dividing line between Incredibolt and Golden Tempo and the rest of the longshots. Here’s how I plan to spread out that $100 bankroll: $10 to win on Emerging Market, hoping to get odds somewhere around 10-1.