Betting newbie on horse racing? Here are our tips before the Kentucky Derby

Saturday was the 151st match of the Kentucky Derby, the greatest two minutes of a sporting game and one of the most bets of the year. According to Churchill Downs, $210.7 million was bet on the 2024 game. That figure is higher than the $188 million in the previous year.

As we play for mint juleps and playing "My Hometown Kentucky" let's dive into the fields of 2025 and how to bet.

First, understand the unpredictability of the Kentucky Derby. Favorite matches have won less than 35% of the matches (40 times) since 1908, and not once in the last five years.

There are two categories of bets in horse racing: straight and exotic. A direct bet involves a horse. An exotic bet involves multiple horses.

The three most basic bets are direct bets. They bet on a horse to win, place or perform. Choosing a horse to "win" is exactly what you think. You bet on a specific horse to win the race. Betting on a horse to "location" means you are betting on the horse to finish first or second horse. The bet on the bet of "show" is on the bet, and the horse will end first, second or third.

In the simplest terms, exotic bets are parlays with multiple horses:

Accurate: Bet two horses and end the race in that order.

Fifteen people: Bet two horses, ending first and second in the race in any order.

Trifecta: Bet three horses, ending the first, second and third time in that order.

SuperFecta: Bet four horses, ranking first, second, third and fourth in that order.

Now that you know some terms, let's dive into the field.

"News" is a 7-2 favorite. Next is Sandman (5-1), American Promise (8-1) and Sovereignty (11-1).

Bull No. 1 (17-1)

No. 2 Neequo (60-1)

No. 3 final gambit (17-1)

No. 4 Rodriguez (9-1)

United States Promise No. 5 (12-1)

Appreciate Daytona No. 6 (40-1)

Luxor Cafe No. 7 (14-1)

News No. 8 (4-1)

Burnham Square No. 9 (22-1)

No. 10 (17-1)

Flying No. 11 Mohawk (39-1)

No. 12 East Avenue (36-1)

Publisher No. 13 (33-1)

Tiztastic No. 14 (19-1)

Rendering Judgment No. 15 (12-1)

Coal War No. 16 (31-1)

No. 17 Sandman (5-1)

Sovereignty No. 18 (11-1)

Gold No. 19 (37-1)

No. 20 Irving All-Around (44-1)

Kentucky Derby Prediction

Drew Dinsick of NBC Sports likes "American Promise", the youngest horse in the field, won the victory on Saturday.

There is a strong opinion on a race as broad and unpredictable as the Kentucky Derby. It's undoubtedly a very powerful field, totally valuable in "news", but I'm attracted by the legitimate commitment of Colt trained by D. Wayne Lukas.

In my opinion, the US promise was a later foal, and now it has just been integrated into the horses to beat this game. His Virginia Derby frolic is a sign of what’s coming and I think he has a huge run on him on Saturday to stop this competitive field. Expect "America's Promise" to track quickly half a mile and be in the ideal position to lead the final round, and hope his lineage and recent developments will help him maintain his momentum. I hope we get a 15-1 price for this potential breakthrough superstar. - Dinsick

Al Bernstein of NBC Sports expects "news" to be placed, but only wins.

The press is a favorite in the morning and he is probably the fastest horse in the race. His stalking style, however, can see that he either gets stuck in speed or gets backed up his face in the later advance. In my top five, I have four closers and “news” and I see my favorite people getting caught.

None of those close-up wins would surprise me. These include “Publishers”, which will be a huge price and never won the game. He could give Steve Asmussen his first derby title on 0-for-26. This is how I see it done:

First: Sandman

Second: News

Third: Sovereignty

Fourth: Burnham Square

Fifth: Publisher. - Bernstein