Road to the Kentucky Derby Contenders

To earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, horses will need to earn points in the designated Road to the Derby races.

2024–2025 Horse Leaderboard

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Have You Found Your Derby Horses to Pick Above?

Learn more on what bets you can make on the Kentucky Derby

Placing a bet on the Kentucky Derby is a fun way to have a rooting interest in the outcome, even if you don’t know much about the sport. But learning a few nuances of handicapping horse races will elevate your enjoyment of the Derby to a new level.

How do our Wagering Experts see it?

Learn how to bet on the Kentucky Derby with tips from our racing experts.

Predict the winner with a Future Wager

Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wagers allow racing fans to bet on potential contenders in the Derby and Oaks before the races’ final entrants are determined.

Stay Up To Date With The Latest News & Horses

Read here for the latest updates around the Kentucky Derby.

Wager big on the Kentucky Derby

View Expert Picks, Live Odds, Future Wager Pools and more horse information!

Download the Derby App

The Kentucky Derby app has everything you need to enjoy your day at the races.


Fierceness lying down as a foal

Fierceness illustrates his laid-back personality (Photo by Alys Emson/Lane's End Farms)

Horse Info to Know

Horse breeds for the Kentucky Derby are Thoroughbred horses and are exclusively bred naturally. The foundation sires for Thoroughbred horses, or founding fathers, are the Darley Arabian (1700), Godolphin Arabian (1724) and Byerly Turk (1679).

No matter when a Thoroughbred horse is born, every Thoroughbred shares the same birthday of January 1st!

Horses can have an affinity to certain track surfaces and conditions. There are horses who thrive on grassy turf and others who may dominate on dirt. In both scenarios, even soft ground versus firm, or sloppy dirt can provide an advantage to horses who may be more comfortable with the changes. Yes, horses will naturally play in water puddles!

Horses who run in the Kentucky Derby are often purchased at horse auctions by their current owners. These sales, such as Keeneland, OBS, or Fasig-Tipton, can conduct horse sales for a specific age or context of the horses; like breeding stock versus two-year-olds in training and mixed age or sex.


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