2018 Kentucky Derby Odds and Betting Tips

By Horse Racing

The 2018 Kentucky Derby is just a few short days away.  I’m really excited about the Derby this year because there is no clear cut favorite and there are 7 horses with legitimate chances to win with odds of 12/1 or better.  This is a betting tipsters paradise because it really is anybodies race and it allows for a lot of research to really help with tipping the winner.

Below I will look at the morning line odds for the race and also give my two favourite picks for the Derby winner.

2018 Kentucky Derby Winner Odds

Here are the morning line odds for betting on the 2018 Kentucky Derby.  These odds will vary throughout the day depending on the amount of money that is bet on each horse.  Check out the up to date odds at Bovada.lv throughout race day.  Here’s our Bovada review.

  • Justify 3/1
  • Mendelssohn 5/1
  • Magnum Moon 6/1
  • Audible 8/1
  • Bolt d’Oro 8/1
  • Good Magic 12/1
  • Vino Rosso 12/1
  • Hofburg 20/1
  • Enticed 30/1
  • My Boy Jack 30/1
  • Noble Indy 30/1
  • Promises Fulfilled 30/1
  • Solomini 30/1

There is the list of all of the horses with 30/1 or better morning line odds for the Derby.

2018 Kentucky Derby Tips

There is no clear cut favorite this year that is likely going to win, so thorough research can really help you find the best bets and some overlooked gems.

After digging in to the research my favorite to win the race is Audible at odds of 8/1.  This horse has won four straight races as a three year and won the Florida Derby just over a month ago with a beautifully run race really solidify himself as a contender at the Derby.

I love the fact that this horse has won four straight.  I look for winners when making my Derby picks.  His time in the Florida Derby of 1:49.48 was also the fastest 1 1/8 mile prep race time of all of the favorites heading into the Derby, so his speed is there.  I’m also looking at the history of the Florida Derby and the fact that both Always Dreaming and Nyquist won the Florida Derby before becoming the last two Kentucky Derby winners.

Audible ran a perfect race in Florida and looked to have plenty left in the tank, so I don’t expect the extra eighth of a mile at the Derby to slow him down.  Here’s a replay of the race:

Outside of the top contenders my favorite play is Hofburg at 20/1. He finished second to Audible at the Florida Derby, but still posted a very strong time and was actually closing the distance slightly down the stretch. Hofburg seemed to have a lot left in the tank at the Florida Derby and if he didn’t start from so far back or started his sprint earlier he could have been a real threat to Audible in that race.

Hofburg only has 2 races this year, so he’s a bit of an under the radar horse, but he looks to be improving every time out and if he has his best race I could see him being a surprise winner at the Derby this Saturday.

So I’m on the two Florida Derby horses this Saturday. I will be placing a big winners bet on Audible and a small one on Hofburg, while also using the two horses in a couple of exacta plays.

Plays: Audible 8/1 and Hofburg 20/1

Check out our horse race betting section for a further breakdown of the different bets you can make on the race.


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