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The Kentucky Derby or “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” is one of the most important horse races held annually. The Derby takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky during an event that spans multiple days. In 2016, the Kentucky Oaks race will take place at 5:49pm EST on Friday, May 6, and the Kentucky Derby will run at 6:34pm EST on Saturday, May 7.
Kentucky Derby 2016 Free Bets
The Kentucky Derby is a popular betting event, and what better time to take advantage of the free bets available online. We’ll outline our recommendations below!
Bovada Racebook – $250 in Free Bets
The Bovada Racebook provides a 50% deposit bonus for up to $250. Open your account and deposit $500, and you will receive an extra $250 in free bets. Only a 5x wagering requirement!
Read more about our Bovada bonus code here.
BetOnline.ag Racebook – $1000 in Free Bets
The BetOnline offers a 25% deposit bonus for up to a whopping $1,000 in free bets. The minimum deposit is $50 to qualify for the 50% bonus and there is a 10x wagering requirement.
Read more about our BetOnline promo code here.
5Dimes Racebook – 10% Increased Odds and up to 9% in Rebates
5Dimes Racebook does not provide free bets, but they may offer something even better for the serious bettor. 5Dimes provides a 10% increase in track odds and up to 9% in rebates based on daily volume!
Kentucky Oaks 2016
The Longines Kentucky Oaks is just one of 13 races that day. In fact, the Oaks will be the eleventh race run. These races tend to get overshadowed due to the focus on the Derby, but there’s a lot of action here that’s of interest to bettors. If you’re not sure which races to target, look at the Oaks of course but also the five races that precede it: Edgewood Stakes, Grade III Alysheba Stakes, Grade III Aegon Turf Sprint, Grade II Louisville Breeders’ Cup and Grade III Crown Royal American Turf.
As for the Kentucky Oaks itself, this will be very exciting thanks to an amazing field that includes not one but two undefeated fillies: Cathryn Sophia and Songbird. Songbird was a champion 2-year-old in 2015 and looks every bit as good this year. Cathryn Sophia has won her first four starts in an absolutely dominating fashion and looks to be something very special. Rounding out our top three is Rachels Valentina, who some experts like to win it all. You’ll notice that the odds are all over the place right now, which provides some good opportunity if you’re willing to shop around.
We recommend checking the odds at the Bovada Racebook!
Kentucky Derby 2016
Undefeated Nyquist remains the favorite, and this close to the race, that’s not likely to change. Mohaymen is one of the more interesting horses in the race in that his odds have moved a lot since odds were first posted. This is largely due to Mohaymen wowing onlookers recently in trials. The ideal time to bet on Mohaymen has likely over, but there’s still some really opportunity there.
Bet on the Kentucky Derby 2016 at the Bovada Racebook!
Exaggerator also has what it takes to win it all, and you should expect movement here as well as we get closer to the race and the action picks up. Gun Runner is another popular option, and this horse has the goods, but he’s coming off only a six-week break. Historically, horses in his situation underperform in the Run for the Roses. If you do pick Gun Runner, you should have solid reasons why you think he’ll succeed in a scenario where so many others have failed.
Some people will look at Nyquist, Exaggerator and Mohaymen and see a very attractive trifecta. It looks like a solid bet, and this is a race where favorites tend to perform well. Nevertheless, there are those second-tier runners like Brody’s Cause and Mo Tom that can win this race. Even if they don’t win outright, they can certainly poke their nose in far enough to ruin that trifecta.
Other Races That Day
The Kentucky Derby presented by YUM! Brands is just one of 14 races that Saturday, and it’ll actually be the twelfth race run. The other race that stands out that day is the one that runs just before it: The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. Like usual, the Turf Classic has a loaded roster that includes rising stars on grass as well as turf veterans that have won big races.
Finnegans Wake won the race last year. There’s no reason not to be bullish on him this year, and many experts are. This is particularly true after it was learned that Tepin, a horse that many believed would give Finnegans a difficult challenge, wouldn’t be participating. Odds on this one shift a lot late, and while there’s certainly some opportunity there with early wagers, this is one of those races where it’s historically been better to wait.
Popular Kentucky Derby Bets
The most popular types of bets for all 27 races run over these two days at Churchill Downs is win-place-show bets, exacta bets and trifecta bets. Win-place-show bets are the simplest wagers. Successful win bets can pay out quite well, and a show bet is the easiest type of wager to have success with because your horse of choice only has to finish top three.
Experienced punters tend to opt for exacta and trifecta bets instead because that’s where the real money is. Instead of picking a single horse to win, place or show, you pick two horses to come in first and second or three horses to come in first, second and third. Note that order does matter, but you can also box an exacta or trifecta, which means that the horses can come in in any order at a reduced payout. Boxed bets are very attractive for wagers for the big races like the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.
Good luck and have fun watching the Kentucky Derby 2016!
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