Horse racing’s Triple Crown gets underway on Saturday at Churchill Downs when the 2024 Kentucky Derby goes to post. “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” is the culmination of months of Kentucky Derby prep races, and a full week at Churchill Downs that got underway last Saturday with the 2024 Kentucky Derby post draw. Now that the 2024 Kentucky Derby posts have been revealed and the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds are out, bettors are studying the 2024 Kentucky Derby 2024 field looking for the best values.
Three 2024 Kentucky Derby horses are getting single-digit odds: Fierceness (5-2), Sierra Leone (3-1) and Catching Freedom (8-1). West Saratoga, Grand Mo the First and Society Man are the biggest 2024 Kentucky Derby longshots at 50-1, giving bettors a range of options. The 2024 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. With so much to consider while making your 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
One is the loneliest number, even in horse racing. Eight horses have won from Post No. 1, the fourth most all-time. But much of that is a distant memory since the last horse to win from “the dreaded rail” was Ferdinand in 1986. Dornoch (20-1) will take off at post No. 1 on Saturday and could have a tough time breaking the 37-year drought. Post 5 has generated the most Kentucky Derby winners (10), last done by Always Dreaming in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. Post No. 17 is the only post number never to produce a Kentucky Derby winner. Fierceness, the 5-2 favorite in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds, will try to make history from the No. 17 gate on Saturday.
Given all the history, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Kentucky Derby like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2024 Kentucky Derby picks possible.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2024. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 years.
He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta and superfecta picks in 2023, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he’s sharing all of his 2024 Kentucky Derby bets here.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:
Kentucky Derby Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $330.44 at the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage and Two Phil’s.
Kentucky Derby Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $982.36 at the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage, Two Phil’s and Angel of Empire.
Kentucky Derby Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $15,643.65 at the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage, Two Phil’s, Angel of Empire and Disarm.
Demling is not taking Fierceness (5-2) to win this year, even though he’s the favorite. Instead, he is building his tickets around Sierra Leone and a massive double-digit longshot who “keeps getting better and better.” You can see his picks here.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Kentucky Derby 2024. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
