Your 2027 Derby Futures Betting Guide: Pools & Odds

The 2027 Kentucky Derby futures market is open, and the first betting pool has already closed with a surprise leader.

U.S.S. Valor finished as the individual favorite in Pool 1 at final odds of 6.92-1.

Hughes, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, closed at 8.52-1.

But Pool 1 closed on October 30, 2026, before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile even took place.

That means Hughes' odds were locked before he proved himself on the national stage.

Now the next betting window, Pool 2, opens Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

It runs through Sunday, November 29, at 6:00 p.m. ET.

A Sire Future Wager runs alongside Pool 2 for the first time this season.

THE KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER EXPLAINED

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a pari-mutuel pool run by Churchill Downs.

It lets bettors lock in odds on a horse months before the race.

Each pool has 40 betting interests: 38 named horses, plus "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.

The takeout is 17.5% on win bets and 22% on exactas.

That means the track keeps that percentage of the pool before paying winners.

2027 KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER POOL SCHEDULE

There are six pools total for the 2027 Kentucky Derby.

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

Pool 2 runs November 26–29, 2026.

Pool 3 runs January 15–17, 2027.

Pool 4 runs February 12–14, 2027.

Pool 5 runs March 12–14, 2027.

Pool 6 runs April 1–3, 2027.

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

THE RACE ITSELF

The 153rd Kentucky Derby is a Grade I race scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2027.

It is run at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Post time has not yet been announced.

NBC will broadcast the race.

WHERE TO BET

Churchill Downs recommends betting Kentucky Derby futures at BUSR.

Bet and stream Graded Stakes live at BUSR.

New customers only, with a minimum $50 deposit required.

Must be 21 years or older.

Terms and conditions apply.

WHO IS THE FAVORITE RIGHT NOW?

U.S.S. Valor closed as the shortest-priced individual horse in Pool 1 at 6.92-1.

Hughes closed at 8.52-1.

Hughes then won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 1, 2026.

That victory could shift the odds significantly when Pool 2 opens.

Hughes is trained by Bob Baffert.

He is a bay colt by Into Mischief out of K P Dreamin, by Union Rags.

He has earned $1,520,000 in five starts.

Hughes leads the Kentucky Derby 2027 leaderboard with 40 points.

His nearest competitor, American History, has 25 points.

THE VIRGINIA DERBY CONNECTION

The Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs 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.

Its winner will earn 50 qualifying points toward a spot in the 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.

The announcement follows a record-setting 2026 season at Colonial Downs.

The track hosted 48 days of live racing and 428 races featuring 3,350 horses.

Colonial Downs reported $29 million in total purse money and $122 million in total wagering.

Nearly 10,000 spectators attended Virginia Derby Day, according to the governor's office.

The Virginia Derby's growing national profile was highlighted by Ocelli, a previous qualifier who finished third in the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

The racing industry also supports Virginia's agricultural economy through horse breeding, training and related businesses, state officials said.

Tickets for the 2027 Virginia Derby go on sale Tuesday, November 10, at noon.

HUGHES' PEDIGREE AND PERFORMANCE

Going into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Hughes had questions to answer.

Would he be competitive against East coast competition?

Would he fight back when challenged?

The answers to both questions were a resounding “yes.”

He fought every step on the lead and held off the late charges of American History and Hughes’s stablemate Salahudin by 2 1/4 lengths.

Hughes did not have a leisurely trip.

His personal split times were 23.43 for the first quarter, 46.62 for the half mile, 1:10.86 for three quarters, 1:35.98 for the mile and a final time of 142.27.

His final sixteenth was 6.29 seconds.

He earned a 101 Brisnet Speed Rating.

Previously, the Bob Baffert-trained colt had open-lengths romps in the American Pharoah (G1), Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Best Pal (G3).

He had demolished maidens by six lengths.

Sire Into Mischief needs no introduction as a sire of Kentucky Derby winners.

Last year, Sovereignty became Into Mischief’s third son to win the Derby.

This put the stallion in rarified air as only the sixth to sire three Kentucky Derby winners.