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The Triple Crown is the pinnacle of horse racing. In order to win the Triple Crown a horse needs to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. These races are all run in the United States and are open to three-year-old thoroughbreds.
There is a complicated qualifying process to enter the Kentucky Derby, which is the first of the Triple Crown races. Twenty horses get to race in the Derby, which means qualifying is extremely competitive and only the best three-year-old thoroughbreds get in.
Betting The Kentucky Derby at Online Sportsbooks
The first horse to win the Triple Crown was Sir Baron in 1919. Since that time, only twelve other horses have won all three of the Triple Crown races in a single year. Most horse racing fans will remember American Pharoah (2015). The last winner of the Triple Crown was Justify (2018). Prior to these two winners, the last winner was Affirmed (1978).
Triple Crown Futures Betting
The Kentucky Derby is raced on the first Saturday of May every year at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. As the race approaches racebooks will have multiple futures bets for the Triple Crown. These bets include all three of the Triple Crown races.
Racebooks will post odds on each horse in the Kentucky Derby winning the Triple Crown, which will offer huge payouts if correct. However, if you look at the history of winning the Triple Crown only two horses have won in the last forty years. There have been two recent winners, but betting on a horse to win the Triple Crown is extremely improbable.
To give you an example of the potential payouts, we’ll look at the 2019 odds. Improbable is a 5/1 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby this year at the time of publishing. The horse is paying 50/1 odds to win the Triple Crown. While unlikely to win a Triple Crown futures bet since most years there isn’t a winner, the potential payout is enticing.
If you’re going to bet on Improbable to win the Derby, it’s worth betting a smaller amount on the horse winning the Triple Crown as well. The same can be said regardless of which horse you’re betting on. It’s important to consider all of your betting options.
The Benefits of Betting on Horses at an Online Sportsbook
Another Triple Crown wager is a simple prop - will any horse win the Triple Crown? You can bet on Yes or No. This year the odds on Yes are 11/2 and the odds on No are 1/7. This isn’t a popular bet, though, as there really isn’t much value in betting on Yes or No. While there are two recent Triple Crown winners I’d need better than 11/2 odds to make the bet.
Triple Crown Racebook Bonuses
Hundreds of millions are wagered on the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes every year. Online sports betting sites have huge marketing budgets to get new clients during the Triple Crown races and that means bettors will receive various perks.
There are typically special sign-up bonuses for new players. Free bets are popular too. An example would be receiving a $5 free bet to use on exotics if you deposit X amount. Some bookies offer cashback offers instead where you get your bet back if you lose.
Keep in mind all of these offers have terms and conditions that need to be followed.
