Kentucky Derby – 150th Run for the Roses

It’s the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby today at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Run for the Roses, as it is known, kicks off horse racing’s Triple Crown. The Triple Crown consists of the Kentucky Derby followed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. It is extremely rare for a horse to win all three events. 

Two horses, Justify (2018) and American Pharoah (2015), have won the Triple Crown within the last decade. Prior to that, the last horse to do so was Affirmed in 1978. All of these Triple Crowns started with a win at the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby History

The Kentucky Derby was first run in 1875. It has been run annually every year since. The Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May every year. Only twice has the race been rescheduled for a different date. The first was during World War II in 1945 and the second was during the COVID pandemic of 2020.

Along with its sister event, the Kentucky Oaks, the Kentucky Derby is the oldest continually held major sporting event in the U.S. It is also the oldest thoroughbred stakes race held in the same location. The Kentucky Derby is the most-watched and most-attended horse race in the U.S. A crowd of over 150,000 is expected today.

MUST READ: KENTUCKY DERBY BETTING TIPS

Today’s Kentucky Derby

Post time for the 2024 Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET today. If you are looking at placing a wager or two on today’s race, the favorite is Fierceness (+250). The three-year-old colt has great speed and the stamina to win the 1.25-mile Kentucky Derby. 

Keep in mind that Fierceness will run out of the No. 17 gate. In the history of the Kentucky Derby, there has been at least one horse to win a race from all but one of the 20 gates (since they’ve been used). The only gate that has not produced a Kentucky Derby winner is Gate No. 17.

The top contenders for today’s Kentucky Derby are Catching Freedom (+800) and Sierra Leone (+300). Sierra Leone has won three of its last four races. The trainer, Chad Brown, has run seven horses in the Kentucky Derby. He has never won.

It’s Still Dirty in Here

We can’t seem to keep the top of the daily leaderboard clean. It’s Chris “Dirty” Dyer again with a perfect 7-0 run on yesterday’s picks. Dirty was our top capper yesterday followed by a couple Sports Hub experts whose names you’ll recognize. 

Let’s get right to it. Here’s a look at yesterday’s leaderboard.

• Hot ‘n dirty: The guy has just been killing it this week. Dirty Dyer went 7-0 yesterday and took home $700 in profits. That puts him at No. 1 on the 7-day leaderboard and No. 2 on the 30-day leaderboard with $2485 earned. Dirty is also our No. 1 capper on the 7-day baseball and basketball leaderboards. Maybe he’ll have a Kentucky Derby pick.
• Clean sweep: Geovanny Araya is our top soccer handicapper. He’s No. 1 for the week after yesterday’s 2-0 effort. Geo added profits of $450 to his bankroll.
• Cleaning up: If you have been paying attention, you should be making money following Sas Insider. After going 8-4 yesterday, Sas Insider added another $360 to an already fat bankroll. Over the last 30 days, Sas Insider is up $4650. Over the last 60 days, the Insider is up nearly 10 grand!

• Bob Dirt: It doesn’t have the same ring as Joe Dirt, but Bobby Babowski got dirty yesterday and went 3-0 on his picks. With another $300 added to the bankroll, Bobby ranks third on our 3-day leaderboard with $747 in profits.
• Scott’s Picks: Another capper that has been very consistent over the past week-plus, Scott’s Picks went 4-2 yesterday and won $297. Scott’s Picks is now No. 1 on the 3-day leaderboard with $1222 in profits the last three days.

Huge Day in Sports

It’s the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. It will start at 6:57 p.m. ET this evening live from Churchill Downs in Louisville. Along with the Kentucky Derby, the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals will start tonight in Denver. 

There is a huge Game 7 in the NHL playoffs tonight as well as a full slate of MLB games all day long. Don’t forget, it’s Saturday so all of the top soccer leagues will play today. Saturday also means MMA and there is a major boxing title fight tonight. Bettors, you will not be bored today. 

Here’s today’s schedule.

1. Title fight: Canelo Alvarez puts his super middleweight championship on the line in a 12-round title fight against Jaime Munguia. The fight can be watched on pay-per-view.
2. Saturday at the park: It’s a full schedule for MLB. The Tigers and Yankees kick it off at 1:05 p.m. The Braves and Dodgers, who went to extra innings last night, will end it at 9:10 p.m.
3. Kentucky Derby: The 150th Run for the Roses starts at 6:57 p.m. ET. The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports kicks off this year’s Triple Crown.

4. Game 7: Toronto travels to Boston for a key Game 7 in the NHL playoffs. Can the Maple Leafs make it two in a row? Toronto beat Tampa Bay last year to advance. Boston also lost last year in the first round after being up 3-1.
5. Western Conference semifinals: Minnesota is in Denver tonight to begin the Western Conference semifinals. The Nuggets are favored by 4.5. 
6. MLS: There are 12 matches today in MLS. All eyes will be on Inter Miami CF as they host the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Inter Miami CF leads MLS with a 6-3-2 record and 21 points.
7. UFC 301: Tonight’s main event pits Alexandre Pantoja (27-5-0) against Steve Erceg (12-1-0) in the flyweight division. There is a huge undercard and Sports Hub has a ton of MMA picks for the event in our database already. Check it out and visit throughout the day as our MMA cappers put in more winning picks.
8. Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek plays Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final today. The men’s final is Sunday. Andrey Rublev will face Felix Auger-Aliassime.
9. PGA Tour: Jake Knapp is the leader at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson heading into the third round. Knapp will tee off at 1:55 p.m. today along with Troy Merritt, who is one shot behind the leader and tied for second.
10. Saturday football: Yes, don’t forget there is Saturday football this time of year. The UFL is now in Week 6. Birmingham, the only remaining unbeaten team at 5-0, will take on the Memphis Showboats (1-4) and Houston (1-4) battles the St. Louis Battlehawks (4-1). 

Mavs Move On, Clark Debuts

The Dallas Mavericks had themselves a party last night at home. Caitlin Clark made her WNBA preseason debut. The Los Angeles Lakers made the news as well, though it’s not good news for the head coach. 

Here’s what’s happening in sports.

• Mavs move on: Kyrie Irving had 30 points and Luka Doncic 28 as the Dallas Mavericks took care of the LA Clippers in Game 6 of their series last night. The win gave the Mavs a 4-2 series win and they will move on to play Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.

• Clark debuts: Overall No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark made her WNBA preseason debut last night. In front of a sold-out crowd at UT-Arlington’s College Park Center, Clark scored 21 points for the Indiana Fever in a 79-76 loss to the Dallas Wings.
• Lakers fire Ham: The Lakers decided to move on from Ham who led the Lakers to two playoff berths, an in-season tournament win, and two play-in tournament wins. Ham went 90-74 in the regular season but just 9-12 in the postseason. It’s sure to be another exciting offseason for the Lakers.