The 2022 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 7 at 6:57 p.m. ET. And unlike in years past, the 148th Run for the Roses projects to be a wide-open race, since there is no overwhelming favorite — at least not yet.
Like with any horse race, the odds for the Derby will be fluid and we won’t know the favorite until much closer to post-time.
The most likely scenario, however, is that the morning-line favorite Zandon will close as the chalk. Chad Brown’s charge was posted at 3-1 odds after drawing the No. 10 post in the race. Zandon’s main rival will likely be No. 3 Epicenter, who checked in with 7-2 odds after the draw.
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Bizarrely, one thing horseplayers will need to account for is that Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale plans to plunk down $4 million on the Derby and the horse he chooses to bet will almost certainly end up as the favorite by the time we hear “And they’re off!”
McIngvale, who is making the bet as part of a hedge against a Derby-related giveaway at his furniture stores, will almost certainly be betting on Zandon or Epicenter.
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Mattress Mack’s shenanigans aside, the best way for casuals to play the 2022 Kentucky Derby is to take a stand with a couple of longshots and include them in your exotic wagers, like exactas and trifectas. Sure, there’s a chance that we see Zandon and Epicenter cross the finish line first and second to ruin your tickets, but just backing the two favorites at short odds in a wide-open field on a potentially sloppy track is not a strategy that will pay off enough of the time to make it viable.
Kentucky Derby 2022 Betting: Everything you need
And there are plenty of potential sleepers to consider. Canadian-bred No. 8 Messier (8-1) is the only other horse with single-digit odds on the morning-line and will be a popular play at the window on Saturday, while No. 16 Cyberknife will also get plenty of support at his current price of 20-1.
2022 Kentucky Derby Odds
| POST POSITION | HORSE | ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mo Donegal | 10-1 |
| 2 | Happy Jack | 30-1 |
| 3 | Epicenter | 7-2 |
| 4 | Summer Is Tomorrow | 30-1 |
| 5 | Smile Happy | 20-1 |
| 6 | Messier | 8-1 |
| 7 | Crown Pride | 20-1 |
| 8 | Charge It | 20-1 |
| 9 | Tiz The Bomb | 30-1 |
| 10 | Zandon | 3-1 |
| 11 | Pioneer Of Medina | 30-1 |
| 12 | Taiba | 12-1 |
| 13 | Simplification | 20-1 |
| 14 | Barber Road | 30-1 |
| 15 | White Abarrio | 10-1 |
| 16 | Cyberknife | 20-1 |
| 17 | Classic Causeway | 30-1 |
| 18 | Tawny Port | 30-1 |
| 19 | Zozos | 20-1 |
| 20 | Ethereal Road | 30-1 |