If you are in Louisville on Saturday, May 7, you should not miss the Kentucky Derby. If you do not get the chance to see the event live, then you should watch it on TV, live stream, or follow it somehow.
Here are the Kentucky Derby predictions for 2022, including our favourite picks and how best you can handle your online betting. You will also find out the current Kentucky Derby odds for 2022.
If you are familiar with horse racing in the United States, you would know the Kentucky Derby. It is an annual horse race held in Louisville, Kentucky, mainly on the first Saturday in May. Twenty 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will compete in what is regarded as “The Fastest 2 Minutes in Sports” or “The Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports” because of the duration of the race.
Another remarkable thing about the Kentucky Derby special is that it is the first leg of the Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes being the other part.
The Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday, May 7, with post time placed at 6:57 p.m ET.
The Kentucky Derby will be taken around the 1.25 miles track at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsGreat supportMobile appsLive bettingVarious top horses have performed well in recent months, but the latest odds have Zandon as the favorite for this year’s event with a 3/1 2022 KY Derby odds. Another horse that could challenge Zandon closely is Epicenter which has a 7/2 odd backing. Messier is also up there with an 8/1 pick, but White Abarrio and Mo Donegal have a 10/1 backing each.
Here are the 2022 Kentucky Derby odds:
| HORSE | ODDS |
| Zandon | 3/1 |
| Epicenter | 7/2 |
| Messier | 8/1 |
| Mo-Donegal | 10/1 |
| White Abarrio | 10/1 |
| Taiba | 12/1 |
| Zozos | 20/1 |
| Cyberknife | 20/1 |
| Simplification | 20/1 |
| Charge It | 20/1 |
| Crown Pride | 20/1 |
| Smile Happy | 20/1 |
| Ethereal Road | 30/1 |
| Tawny Port | 30/1 |
| Classic Causeway | 30/1 |
| Barber Road | 30/1 |
| Pioneer of Medina | 30/1 |
| Tiz the Bomb | 30/1 |
| Summer Is Tomorrow | 30/1 |
| Happy Jack | 30/1 |
There are different bet deals you can wager on ahead of the Kentucky Derby, including the Standard Wagers and Exotic Wagers. But the most popular for live betting are the standard ones.
Standard wagers are the most popular bet type for the Kentucky Derby, and you can be sure you will get the chance to win. The minimum amount to bet is $2, and they are in 3 categories:
If you are a betting expert, exotic wagers could be for you. The single-race exotics include Exacta Bet, Quinella Bet, Trifecta Bet, Superfecta Bet, Super Hi-Five Bet, and others. Multi-race exotics include Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, and Pick 6. If the results go your way, you could win big.
If you sign up with the best online horse betting sites for the first time, you can get the top free bets to wager on the Kentucky Derby.
Out of the 147 previous Kentucky Derby winners, only 20 are still alive. Mandaloun won the 2021 Kentucky Derby and is the only horse still competing as a racehorse. Here is a list of the previous 5 winners of the Kentucky Derby:
| YEAR | WINNER | JOCKEY | TRAINER |
| 2021 | Mandaloun | Florent Geroux | Brad Cox |
| 2020 | Authentic | John R. Velazquez | Bob Baffert |
| 2019 | Country House | Flavien Prat | Bill Mott |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming | John R. Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
Here are the top 5 contenders for the Kentucky Derby 2022 betting tips and predictions.
After winning the Blue Grass Stakes in April, Zandon has become the surprising favourite heading to Churchill Downs. Zandon had to bounce back from finishing third in the Risen Star in February, finishing behind Epicenter and Smile Happy.
The colt is 3 years old like its counterparts, but it will need jockey Flavien Prat, experienced in winning the Kentucky Derby, to be up to the task. Of the 4 previous races Zandon has been involved in, the colt has won twice, coming second and third in the last 2, respectively.
If a horse can give Zandon a good run for the prize in Churchill Downs, then Epicenter is up to the task. The 3-year-old colt has done it before, beating Zandon to win at the Risen Star in February. Epicentre is even more experienced, having been involved in 6 races, claiming first on 4 occasions, second once, and 6th once.
Another factor that will play an essential role in giving Epicenter a chance is top Jockey Joel Rosario, who has won the Kentucky Derby before. Rosario won in 2013 with colt Orb and would be looking to repeat the same feat this time.
Epicentre has been up there in the last 5 races, and if Zandon beats him, it will only be by some margins.
Messier got his name after NHL legend Mark Messier, and he will look to get better than his last performances. After beating Cabo Spirit and Wharton in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February, Messier settled for second in the Santa Anita Derby, behind Taiba. Messier is notable because he has either been first or second from the six starts.
It could serve as a motivation going into the Kentucky Derby. With the kind of experience jockey John R. Velazquez has with the Kentucky Derby, having won it 3 times in 2011, 2017, and 2020, we cannot rule Messier out that easily.
Mo Donegal is one of the 3 entries top trainer Todd Pletcher has for this race, and after securing the prize in the Wood Memorial in April, he has another chance to impress. Although he could sometimes be inconsistent, Mo Donegal beat everyone’s favourite for this one, Zandon, last December in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. All that is left for jockey Irad Ortiz is to strategize on how to get the best out of Mo.
Although jockey Tyler Gaffalione could be young, he has quite a lot of experience winning. For instance, he won with White Abarrio back in the Florida Derby in April, and he is likely to play a vital role if the 3-year-old colt goes for its third consecutive victories.
White Abarrio is coming off 2 victories after winning the Florida Derby ahead of Charge It and Simplification in April. In February, he got the better of Simplification and Mo Donegal in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. Out of the 5 races White Abarrio has started, he has won 4, which says a lot about how excellent he can be.
If you want to wager on the Kentucky Derby, it is the best time to do it. Zandon is the favourite pick of the 2022 Kentucky Derby betting offers, but you cannot rule out the prediction tipping Epicenter or Messier. A jockey that has won the Kentucky Derby 3 times will handle Messier, and the experience could play a role in the event’s outcome.
