Although the races are about two months away, you can wager on the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks this weekend. The Kentucky Oaks will be run at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 3 and the Kentucky Derby will run the following day, May 4.
The second of three Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools and the first and the year’s only Kentucky Oaks Future Wager pool opens Friday. Wagering on both pools opens at noon Friday, Mar. 1. Wagering on the Kentucky Derby pool closes at 6 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 3 while the Kentucky Oaks pool closes at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Future wagering allows bettors the opportunity at higher odds than may be available on race day. However, there are no refunds if your horse doesn’t start in the race or is injured or otherwise removed from consideration during pool wagering. Churchill Downs will immediately suspend wagering on a horse if it learns that something has happened to it to prevent it from entering the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks.
The future wager pools offer a minimum $2 win wager only, no place or show wagering. Also offered is a minimum $2 straight exacta wager or a minimum $1 boxed exacta or part-wheel wager. Twenty-three individual betting interests are available in each of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks pool, plus the “All Others” mutual field.
