Kentucky Derby 2022: Las Vegas disagrees about favorite
Like bettors nationwide Friday, horseplayers in Nevada split their allegiance between their two top choices for Kentucky Derby 2022. But in Las Vegas, they were not the same two horses as they were at Churchill Downs.
As with the rest of the country, bettors at Circa Sports made Epicenter their favorite. The Louisiana Derby (G2) winner actually carried a best price of 5-1 in the pari-mutuel win pool compared with 9-2 at Circa. To split hairs, the downtown Las Vegas racebook cut him from plus 475 to plus 460 on Friday. The Westgate kept Epicenter at exactly 9-2 (plus 450), and Caesars Sportsbook at William Hill Nevada held him at 7-2 (plus 350).
Track updated Churchill Downs odds for Kentucky Derby 2022.
The contrast came with the second choice. In Las Vegas, Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Messier held his ground with his best price of 7-1 at both Caesars at William Hill and at the Westgate Superbook, and he was cut from plus 675 to plus 630, or about 6-1 at Circa. At Churchill Downs, Messier was 7-1 on Friday.
Taiba, the stablemate who beat Messier in the Santa Anita Derby, was a narrow second choice at 5-1 in the mutuel win pool, but he carried value in Las Vegas with odds of 8-1 at Circa and Caesars at William Hill and 6-1 at the Westgate.
Zandon, the morning-line favorite at the track, drifted to 8-1 there. While his odds went up to 6-1 at Circa, they were cut to 3-1 to give him the shortest price at Caesars at William Hill. He remained 7-2 (plus 350) at the Westgate, which has not moved its odds since reopening its Derby pool after Monday’s draw.
The Westgate did add a prop asking whether there would be a Triple Crown sweep this spring. It made the “yes” odds 11-2 (plus 550) and the “no” 1-8 (minus 800). That compared with Caesars at William Hill’s 13-2 (plus 650) for “yes” and 1-10 (minus 1,000) for “no.”
Thanks to an agreement last month between Churchill Downs Inc. and the cartel of Las Vegas-based racebooks, this is the first time in three years that Nevada bettors have had the full choice of Kentucky Derby pari-mutuels and the casinos’ fixed odds.
Following were the Kentucky Derby win markets Saturday at 5 a.m. EDT comparing the Churchill Downs pari-mutuels with the fixed odds in Nevada:
| No. | Kentucky Derby 2022 | CD | Circa | C-WH | WG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Epicenter | +500 | +460 | +350 | +450 |
| 6 | Messier | +700 | +630 | +700 | +700 |
| 10 | Zandon | +800 | +600 | +300 | +350 |
| 12 | Taiba | +500 | +800 | +800 | +600 |
| 1 | Mo Donegal | +800 | 10-1 | 12-1 | 12-1 |
| 15 | White Abarrio | 11-1 | 14-1 | 12-1 | 12-1 |
| 5 | Smile Happy | 14-1 | 14-1 | 15-1 | 16-1 |
| 8 | Charge It | 13-1 | 15-1 | 14-1 | 20-1 |
| 16 | Cyberknife | 14-1 | 19-1 | 15-1 | 20-1 |
| 7 | Crown Pride | 17-1 | 26-1 | 20-1 | 20-1 |
| 9 | Tiz the Bomb | 25-1 | 31-1 | 25-1 | 25-1 |
| 19 | Zozos | 39-1 | 28-1 | 25-1 | 25-1 |
| 13 | Simplification | 40-1 | 32-1 | 28-1 | 30-1 |
| 14 | Barber Road | 40-1 | 40-1 | 35-1 | 50-1 |
| 11 | Pioneer of Medina | 47-1 | 51-1 | 35-1 | 50-1 |
| 17 | Classic Causeway | 67-1 | 46-1 | 35-1 | 40-1 |
| 2 | Happy Jack | 21-1 | 69-1 | 60-1 | 80-1 |
| 4 | Summer Is Tomorrow | 42-1 | 100-1 | 60-1 | 80-1 |
| 18 | Tawny Port | 67-1 | 100-1 | 60-1 | 80-1 |
| 21 | Rich Strike | 99-1 | 150-1 | 75-1 | 80-1 |
| CD: Churchill Downs | |||||
| Circa: Circa Sports | |||||
| C-WH: Caesars at William Hill | |||||
| WG: Westgate Superbook |