Kentucky Derby 2016 Betting Guide: How To Bet Online, Experts Picks, And Odds For Saturday’s Race

The 2016 Kentucky Derby is almost here, and anyone looking to lay down a few dollars (or a bit more) can find a complete betting guide here along with odds for all 20 horses making up this year’s field and instructions on how to bet on the Kentucky Derby online.

The 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby brings a new level of excitement this year, with the more than 40-year drought of Triple Crown winners broken last year by American Pharoah. There is no horse expected to run the table this year, as experts instead predict a wide-open race with at least four or five legitimate contenders to win it.

That can make betting a bit trickier, especially for novices who may not know which horse won the Arkansas Derby or who got stuck with the dreaded first post. But experts have converged around a few favorites, including the undefeated Nyquist as well as Exaggerator and Mohaymen.

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— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) May 5, 2016

Forbes writer Guy Martin said Gun Runner comes from good stock and has looked good at Churchill Downs since arriving in early April, and at 10-1 could be an interesting pick.

“Gun Runner hasn’t run a race in six weeks, since his win in the Louisiana Derby. To some that may seem like too long between starts, but he did win the Louisiana Derby coming off of a five-week layoff. I think he has got to be considered as one of the top horses in the race.”

Nyquist is getting most of the attention, and the horse got a bit of help on Wednesday evening when he drew the No. 13 post.

“We see a good sign,” said trainer Doug O’Neill (via the Courier-Journal). “We were post No. 13 when we won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.”

But as always, there are plenty of detractors from the Kentucky Derby frontrunner. The Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg noted that Nyquist falls short on several fronts, including pedigree. Six of the last seven Kentucky Derby winners had either Raise a Native or Bold Ruler in their sire line, but Nyquist was sired by Uncle Mo, a descendant of Nasrullah. It has been 17 years since a horse in Nasrullah’s direct sire line won the Derby, he noted.

Nyquist’s speed also leaves much to be desired, Greenberg noted.

“His best work comes during one-turn sprints, not two-turn routes. Since 1998, all Derby winners have earned their best Beyer speed figure at 8.5 furlongs or longer. Nyquist had his best Beyer in the San Vincente Stakes (101), a seven-furlong race at Santa Anita. He posted a 94 in the Florida Derby (8.5 furlongs).”

Here is the complete field for Saturday’s 2016 Kentucky Derby, along with the jockey and odds for each horse (odds as of Thursday afternoon).

1. Trojan Nation (Aaron Gryder, 50-1)
2. Suddenbreakingnews (Luis Quinonez, 20-1)
3. Creator (Ricardo Santana Jr, 10-1)
4. Mo Tom (Corey Lanerie, 20-1)
5. Gun Runner (Florent Geroux, 10-1)
6. My Man Sam (Irad Ortiz Jr, 20-1)
7. Oscar Nominated (Julien Leparoux, 50-1)
8. Lani (Yutaka Take, 30-1)
9. Destin (Javier Castellano, 15-1)
10. Whitmore (Victor Espinoza, 20-1)
11. Exaggerator (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1)
12. Tom’s Ready (Brian Hernandez Jr, 30-1)
13. Nyquist (Mario Gutierrez, 3-1)
14. Mohaymen (Junior Alvarado, 10-1)
15. Outwork (John Velazquez, 15-1)
16. Shagaf (Joel Rosario, 20-1)
17. Mor Spirit (Gary Stevens, 12-1)
18. Majesto (Emisael Jaramilla, 30-1)
19. Brody’s Cause (Luis Saez, 12-1)
20. Danzing Candy (Mike Smith, 15-1)

Also Eligible: Laoban (50/1), Cherry Wine (30/1)

For those who want more information on the horses, the Kentucky Derby website has a good breakdown of each one along with its competition history.

Those who want to bet on the Kentucky Derby in 2016 will actually have some simple (and legal) options. The Kentucky-based TwinSpires is seen as the easiest option and has something of an official endorsement from the race itself. The betting outfit is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated, and the Kentucky Derby has a link to TwinSpires on its official site.

[Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images]