Kentucky Derby: Picks for TVG's $300 Risk Free Bet Offer Available in 32 States
Like clockwork, the Kentucky Derby is consistently one of the most popular sports betting events in the U.S. This year the atmosphere should be as electric as ever. Big hats, spring dresses and tailored suits return to the stands at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, while the party ensues on the infield just seven months after bettors watched the first leg of the Triple Crown from home. The Derby also returns to its regular slot on the calendar — the first Saturday in May.
If you’re looking to bet on the Kentucky Derby, I’d say you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got some great Kentucky Derby betting offers to take advantage of right out of the gate, plus we’ll run through horses, post positions (and trends), racing odds and eventually our best Kentucky Derby picks.
2021 Kentucky Derby Quick Picks
#14 Essential Quality 2-1
#15 Rock Your World 5-1
#9 Hot Rod Charlie 8-1
#8 Medina Spirit 15-1
Let’s start with the good stuff. RotoGrinders is pleased to inform you about two great Kentucky Derby betting offers. One comes from TVG and another is from TwinSpires. In total, you can claim $500 in bonuses when betting on these ponies. If you’re looking to wager on the Kentucky Derby, make sure you claim the great offers by clicking on the ads below.
- KY Derby Money Back Special
- Trusted Brand
- Legal in 32 States!
TVG.com delivers a great sign-up bonus offer with a risk-free first bet up to $300. Just sign up before May 1, 2021, using the links on this page and promo code ‘DERBY300’ to start. Then, place your first single horse win bet. If you lose, TVG will credit your account up to $300. This special TVG offer is open to participants in states where TVG is available.
TwinSpires is offering a $200 bonus for new players who sign up using the code ‘BET200.’ The bonus will come in $100 increments for every $400 wagered, and one would need to wager $800 to claim the full $200 bonus. With the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1, and the Preakness on Saturday, May 15, there will be plenty of horse racing to bet on the next few weeks.
#14 Essential Quality 2-1
Unbeaten champion Essential Quality is the 2-to-1 favorite after drawing a somewhat favorable post position. Through five career races, Essential Quality has only gotten better and faster with experience. Trained by Brad Cox, who won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer just last year, Essential Quality became the 2021 Kentucky Derby favorite after the duo won the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Throw Essential Quality and his short 2-1 odds into an exacta with a couple of other horses from below.
#15 Rock Your World 5-1
Starting one gate over from Essential Quality, Rock Your World has received plenty of attention in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The stand-out horse will also be saddled by Joel Rosario, the second-leading rider in the country. If you’re placing only one outright bet and want a larger payout than provided by Essential Quality, then go ahead and Rock Your World.
#9 Hot Rod Charlie 8-1
Hot Rod Charlie, a $110,000 yearling purchase, drew an ideal post position on Tuesday. Initially thought of as a sprinter, Hot Rod Charlie has proven to be a two-turn horse after pushing Essential Quality to the wire in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
#8 Medina Spirit 15-1
I don’t know if Medina Spirit has an upset victory in him, but a respectable finish is definitely in the cards. The horse has finished no worse than 2nd in his races to date.
Kentucky Derby Odds and Post Positions
The 147th “Run for the Roses” is heading our way fast. Which horses will start their week off right and which ones will draw the dreaded inside and outside rails with the no. 1 and no. 20 post positions? We found out on Tuesday, during the live Kentucky post position draw show. There’s nothing special to the draw — simply pure luck, as 20 pills numbered 1-20 are pulled from a bottle and matched with the horse’s name that is simultaneously drawn. From there, horserace oddsmaker Mike Battaglia announced the official morning-line odds for the 147th Kentucky Derby, which you can find in the table below.
| Post Position | Horse | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Known Agenda | 6-1 |
| 2 | Like The King | 50-1 |
| 3 | Brooklyn Strong | 50-1 |
| 4 | Keepmeinmind | 50-1 |
| 5 | Sainthood | 50-1 |
| 6 | O Besos | 20-1 |
| 7 | Mandaloun | 15-1 |
| 8 | Medina Spirit | 15-1 |
| 9 | Hot Rod Charlie | 8-1 |
| 10 | Midnight Bourbon | 20-1 |
| 11 | Dynamic One | 20-1 |
| 12 | Helium | 50-1 |
| 13 | Hidden Stash | 50-1 |
| 14 | Essential Quality | 2-1 |
| 15 | Rock Your World | 5-1 |
| 16 | King Fury | 20-1 |
| 17 | Highly Motivated | 10-1 |
| 18 | Super Stock | 30-1 |
| 19 | Soup And Sandwich | 30-1 |
| 20 | Bourbonic | 30-1 |
We already had an idea who the betting markets liked, with Kentucky Derby odds available briefly at several sportsbooks earlier last week. However, odds have changed now that post positions are official.
Why does the post position matter and why is it so difficult to win from the inside-most position, post no.1? Unlike traditional horse races, which include on average 8-10 horses and no more than 14, in Louisville a whopping 20 horses enter the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby. Because of the crowded field battling for position ahead of the first turn, horses starting from the inside post are forced to endure intense jostling as soon the gate opens.
No horse has finished first in the Kentucky Derby from the no. 1 post since Ferdinand in 1986. Moreover, the last time a horse won from either post 1, 2, or 3 was in 1998, a feat accomplished by the thoroughbred Real Quiet.
That ’98 Derby was no fluke for Real Quiet. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Real Quiet would go on to win the second leg of the Triple Crown before finishing runner-up at the Belmont in the third and final leg. That’s ok, though. Baffert found a horse in American Pharoah who would finally complete the Triple Crown, and then again with Justify in 2018. Baffert tied the record for the most Kentucky Derby wins (6) with Authentic’s 2020 victory. The 68-year-old will stand on a pedestal of his own if Medina Spirt leads him to his seventh Kentucky Derby win on Sunday, May 1. An ideal draw for Medina Spirit and any other horse wanting their best chance at the crown is in the no. 10 post, or somewhere near.
- KY Derby Money Back Special
- Trusted Brand
- Legal in 32 States!
Image Credit: Imagn