Betting guide for the 2022 Kentucky Derby

The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby kicks off Triple Crown season. The race for the elusive crown begins this Saturday at Churchill Downs with Zandon as the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Post time is 6:57pm ET.

Our focus moves to pari-mutuel betting, which is different from the normal sports betting futures we are used to seeing. All odds are based on bets of a particular type, placed together in a pool with payoff odds calculated by sharing the pool (after takeout) among all winning bets. Unlike sports betting futures, the odds are fluid and not final until the race gets underway.

Among the notable betting options are:

Win: picking the winning horse
Place: picking a horse to finish first or second
Show: picking a horse to finish first, second or third
Exacta: picking the top two horses in the exact order
Trifecta: picking the top three horses in the exact order
Box: in wagers such as exactas and trifectas, covering all permutations of the picked horses

Here is a breakdown of every horse in the Kentucky Derby field with suggested plays and picks.

Note: Horses, with morning-line odds, listed in order of post position.

Chris Fallica’s guide to the field

1. Mo Donegal (10-1)

Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

It has been a while since a Wood winner factored into the exacta — when Empire Maker finished second in 2003 to be exact — and I can’t see this one ending the drought. While there is a new starting gate, post 1 is no bargain and while his late-running style will help mitigate some of the trouble, I’m not sure the Derby sets up for a total closer. Only two rail runners have even cracked the trifecta since Ferdinand won in 1986. He also needs to make up about five lengths on White Abarrio and while he did beat Zandon by a nose in the Remsen Stakes, it’s pretty safe to assume the latter has improved leaps and bounds. He could sneak into third or fourth but that’s about it.

2. Happy Jack (30-1)

Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano

Happy Jack won his first race…