How do you bet the derby?

[Smarty Cide]

This year im thinking of taking 5 horses $2 ex box, and $1 tri box, thats 100 bucks.

what types of bets do you guys like the best?

[sovereign]

I would have done a bunch of 10-cent supers, but they don't allow that for the Derby. However, there are 50-cent trifectas.

I am doing a win bet on my primary contender.
Then an exacta with my key horse on top of 3 other contenders, then flip that for half.
Then I will add a 50-cent trifecta with the 3 contenders on top in a 3x5x8 format.

That's the plan so far.....

But last year right after the race, I should have just picked the two horses I liked and dutch them in a Win bet. I still might go this way.

[classhandicapper]

I usually spread around and take multiple horses because there is a lot of value.

[Rookies]

Win Bet
Exactors with that winner and one other Over 4 (A,B/ A,B,C,D)
Tris with that winner ( A/B,C/B,C,D,E,F)

[headhawg]

Lots of value in the Derby so I try to play for a relatively big score. I usually play a $1 tri part wheel with three or four horses on top. I have hit it a couple of times including last year, and was close in '99 but only had Charismatic in the 2nd and 3rd slots. Two out three in '03 and '04 as well but not so good in the other years since I started playing.

I sometimes will also play the EXs as well.

[canleakid]

6 horse $2.00 ex. box=$60.00
6 horse .50 tri.box=$60.00

[lamboguy]

once in awhile i usually make a big bet to show. i remember betting on AFLEET ALEX and EMPIRE MAKER for third. its one of the few races where you can bet big money in the 3rd spot and not budge the odds to much.

i haven 't bet any show's in awhile, and this year looks pretty tough so far, but i am going to wait to see how the horses have trained to make my final decision.

[PICSIX]

7 horse tri-box!!!

[Bullet Plane]

More than likely a pass race for me... I've learned not betting the Derby saves me alot of money... to make bets on other races where I have a better chance of cashing an actual ticket.

It's a bankroll drainer...for me anyway....

In the past, I have tended to make some big bets on this race with very little insight. Now I take all the hype in...and listen... but I don't bet the race.

Try to place your horses on an actual odds line. You will see many of the horses you thought were overlays, actually aren't. The twenty horse field floats the odds to where a 10-1 that looks like an overlay...actually just has a chance of 10-1 because of the additional horses...

[CincyHorseplayer]

Oaks-Derby double and doubles on the card offer a lot of value.

I usually make a win/place bet on a horse or dutch 2 win bets.Play exactas with a key horse and 2-4 contenders about evenly,then $1 wheel the field up and down.It's a race worth doing it for.

I won't bet the race if I don't get a minimum of 5-1.But will still play the doubles.Might get into the .50 tri this year.

[plainolebill]

I usually bet a couple of hundred on the Derby - I look at it as an opportunity to make a huge score if I'm right (and lucky). I bet about half on Supers and the rest on a win bet and exactas.

[Uncle Salty]

I bet an 8 horse exacta box with at least 4 reasonable longshots.

[Figaro]

It'll be my first time betting the Derby this Saturday? Any more betting strategies you can recommend to a newbie like myself?

[Thunder Gulch]

The verticals are just insane if you can just find a couple of the real longshots.

[Bennie]

I play it just like every other race I play. Just go 1 deeper in the exactas, 2 deeper in the tris and 3 deeper in the supers. The rewards are always better because of the pools but I don't go crazy.