Kentucky Derby 2027 Futures: Pools, Odds & Best Betting Tips

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager for the 153rd Kentucky Derby opened with U.S.S. Valor as the individual favorite at 6.92-1 in Pool 1, ahead of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Hughes at 8.52-1, according to Churchill Downs.

Pool 1 closed on October 30, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET, and these are closed-pool prices, not current lines.

The next betting window, Pool 2, opens on Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET and runs through November 29 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

There are six pools total for the 2027 Kentucky Derby.

Pool 1 ran October 28–30, 2026, and closed before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Pools 2 through 6 run on these dates: November 26–29, 2026; January 15–17, 2027; February 12–14, 2027; March 12–14, 2027; and April 1–3, 2027, per Churchill Downs.

For the first time, the Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager runs twice, alongside Pools 5 and 6.

The race itself is the 153rd Kentucky Derby, a Grade I event at 1 1/4 miles on dirt at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Post time is yet to be announced.

TV coverage is on NBC.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a pari-mutuel pool run by Churchill Downs that lets you bet a horse months before the race.

Each pool has 40 betting interests: 38 named horses, “All Fillies,” and “All Other Colts and Geldings.”

Your odds lock when the pool closes, and the bet is settled by the official Derby result on May 1, 2027.

Win bets have a $2 minimum.

Exactas have a $2 minimum, or $1 for boxes and wheels, per the 2026-2027 Churchill Downs information sheet.

Takeout is 17.5% on win bets and 22% on exactas.

Hughes, trained by Bob Baffert, won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by 2 1/4 lengths over American History and his stablemate Salahudin.

Hughes earned a 101 Brisnet Speed Rating in that race.

He had previously won the American Pharoah (G1), Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Best Pal (G3), and he demolished maidens by six lengths.

The nation’s most accomplished 2-year-old, Hughes is by Into Mischief out of K P Dreamin, by Union Rags.

He has earned $1,520,000 in five starts and leads the Kentucky Derby 2027 leaderboard with 40 points.

His nearest competitor, American History, has 25 points.

Into Mischief is the sire of three Kentucky Derby winners: Authentic (2020), Mandaloun (2021), and Sovereignty (2026).

Mandaloun benefitted from the disqualification of Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first.

No stallion has sired four Derby winners, but the 21-year-old Into Mischief still has time.

Hughes's female family comes from an improving distaff line, with three of his first four dams owning black type and yielding black-type producers.

He is a third foal, with two full brothers, though neither is as accomplished as their younger sibling.

His full brother Career Risk won a $16,000 maiden claiming event at Tampa Bay.

Another full brother, Travieso, did not win in four starts at Gulfstream.

His yearling half-brother Grip It and Rip It (by Elite Power) brought $400,000 at the recent Keeneland September yearling sale.

The Virginia Derby will remain an official qualifying race for the 2027 Kentucky Derby.

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the news on Thursday.

The Virginia Derby is scheduled for March 13, 2027, at Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent County, Virginia.

Its winner will earn 50 qualifying points toward a spot in the 153rd Kentucky Derby.

The race will headline three days of live racing at Colonial Downs from March 11-13.

“Virginia has a proud and growing tradition in horse racing, and the Virginia Derby has earned its place as an essential stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby,” Spanberger said in a statement.