Jimmy Boyd in 
The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. We are just a few days away from the big race.
For everything that you need to know about betting this race, check out my Kentucky Derby Betting Guide. I’ll also have my win/place/show picks posted shortly in my Kentucky Derby Predictions article.
Ever wonder how much money is bet on the Derby? You might be surprised by how much action this event brings in. Find out how much cash is wagered in my year-by-year betting totals article.
Look at the Vegas Odds to Win the 2022 Kentucky Derby
Before we get into the odds, I want take a second to just talk about how this race has been trending. For the longest time there was a huge amount of unpredictability in this race.
The betting favorite has won 18 of the last 55, which is a win rate of about 32%. However, prior to 2013 the win rate was sitting at 26.1%. Though the betting favorite has failed to win each of the last three years, the favorite has still won six of the last nine Kentucky Derby’s.
Has the most famous horse racing event of the year lost its unpredictability? Maybe. The run of favorites dominating this race coincided with the change in how the field was determined.
Previously the 20 spots went to the horses who had the most winnings in graded stakes races. Starting in 2013, the field was based on a new points system, where points were awarded based on a horses performance in select races.
The theory is that the new points system does a much better job of getting the best horses in the field for the 1 1/4 mile track. Prior to the points system, horses who excelled at sprints (races less than 1 mile) were qualifying for the Derby.
These horses, who had zero chance of winning a race of this length, would go out and set ridiculous paces. Your top horses (betting favorites) would end up trying to keep up with these sprinters and would run out of gas, which allowed some of your long shots to win.
2022 Top Contenders
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Zandon | 3-1 |
| Epicenter | 7-2 |
| Messier | 8-1 |
| Mo Donegal | 10-1 |
| White Abarrio | 10-1 |
| Taiba | 12-1 |
| Smile Happy | 20-1 |
| Crown Pride | 20-1 |
| Charge It | 20-1 |
| Simplification | 20-1 |
| Cyberknife | 20-1 |
| Zozos | 20-1 |
According to the oddsmakers, the horse to beat at the 2022 Kentucky Derby is Zandon, who is currently being priced at 3-1. Easy to see why Zandon is the favorite. He placed 1st his last time out at the Blue Grass Stakes and has finished 3rd or better in all three of his races.
The two biggest threats to Zandon are Epicenter and Messier. You could definitely make a case for either of these horses to finish on top.
In a field without a runaway favorite, taking a shot with some of the horses at 20-1 might be worth a shot (I will probably throw Zozos in a few exactas if the price is still around 20 to 1 at post).
I think this new points system clearly works at identifying the best horses. That’s not to say I would blindly bet the favorite. I just think that the winner of this race is going to come out of the table above.
Rest of the Field
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Happy Jack | 30-1 |
| Summer is Tomorrow | 30-1 |
| Tiz the Bomb | 30-1 |
| Pioneer of Medina | 30-1 |
| Barber Road | 30-1 |
| Classic Causeway | 30-1 |
| Tawny Port | 30-1 |
| Ethereal Road | 30-1 |
| Rich Strike | 30-1 |
| Rattle N Roll | 30-1 |
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