Topline
Over 150,000 spectators are expected to attend the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday afternoon, while millions of Americans are expected to place bets on the race, not only at Churchill Downs but in the over three dozen states where online sports betting is legal.
Key Facts
The winner of the Derby will take home a $3.1 million grand prize, with $1 million for second-place, and while the owners of the horse will take the majority of the prize money, the jockey of the winning horse will still take home $310,000.
Betters also stand to make a substantial windfall in Saturday’s race: FanDuel puts the odds of three-year-old horse Fierceness winning at 5-2 (or a moneyline of +250), making it the favorite in the field of 20 horses, ahead of Sierra Leone (3-1, +300) and Catching Freedom (8-1, +800).
What Is The Moneyline For Each Horse?
- Fierceness (5-2, +250)
- Sierra Leone (3-1, +300)
- Catching Freedom (8-1, +800)
- Just A Touch (10-1, +1,000)
- Forever Young (10-1, +1,000)
- Dornoch (20-1, +2,000)
- Mystik Dan (20-1, +2,000)
- Just Steel (20-1, +2,000)
- Honor Marie (20-1, +2,000)
- Track Phantom (20-1, +2,000)
- Stronghold (20-1, +2,000)
- Resilience (20-1, +2,000)
- Catalytic (30-1, +3,000)
- T O Password (30-1, +3,000)
- Endlessly (30-1, +3,000)
- Domestic Product (30-1, +3,000)
- West Saratoga (50-1, +5,000)
- Grand Mo The First (50-1, +5,000)
- Society Man (50-1, +5,000)
- Epic Ride (50-1, +5,000)
What Time Does The Kentucky Derby Start?
The Kentucky Derby—the first horse racing’s Triple Crown along with the Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes—starts at 6:57 p.m. EDT.
Big Number
Over $1,700. That was the average ticket price to the Derby as of Friday afternoon, a race record coming in over last year’s average price of $1,651, according to secondary-market ticket site TicketiQ. The average price has since come down to $1,350. The most expensive seats still available on the secondary market Saturday morning costs a whopping $66,765, though fans can get into the race for far less, with the cheapest secondary market tickets going for $121, and general admission directly through the Derby starting at $275.
Surprising Fact
Spectators in attendance at Churchill Downs are expected to go through 1,000 pounds of mint and over 44,000 bottles of Kentucky bourbon, two of the ingredients (along with simple syrup) for the Derby staple mint julep.
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