Published November 5, 2026, 11:30 ET
Kentucky Derby 2027 futures opened with U. S. S. Valor as the individual favorite at final odds of 6.92-1 in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, ahead of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) winner Hughes at 8.52-1, according to Churchill Downs. The 153rd Kentucky Derby (Grade I) is Saturday, May 1, 2027, at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt at Churchill Downs, and the next betting window, Pool 2, opens Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Final $1 win odds from Pool 1 (closed October 30, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET), per the official Churchill Downs recap. These are closed-pool prices, not current lines.
| Horse | Trainer | Last race and result | Pool 1 morning line | Pool 1 final odds | BUSR odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U. S. S. Valor | Shug McGaughey III | Won Champagne Stakes (Grade I), Belmont Park, October 3, 2026, by 6 1/2 lengths | 8-1 | 6.92-1 | TBA |
| Hughes | Bob Baffert | Won Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I), Keeneland, October 30, 2026, by 2 1/4 lengths | 10-1 | 8.52-1 | TBA |
| Salahudin | Bob Baffert | 3rd, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I), Keeneland, October 30, 2026 | 25-1 | 16.42-1 | TBA |
| American History | Todd Pletcher | 2nd, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I), Keeneland, October 30, 2026 | 20-1 | 23.65-1 | TBA |
| Coach Pope | Kenny McPeek | Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I), Keeneland, October 30, 2026 (finish TBA) | 15-1 | 33.26-1 | TBA |
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.
There are six pools for the 2027 Kentucky Derby. Pool 1 ran October 28–30, 2026, and closed before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Pools 2 through 6 run November 26–29, 2026; January 15–17, 2027; February 12–14, 2027; March 12–14, 2027; and April 1–3, 2027, per Churchill Downs.
| Pool | Dates | Also offered |
|---|---|---|
| Pool 1 | October 28–30, 2026 (closed) | — |
| Pool 2 | November 26–29, 2026 | Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager |
| Pool 3 | January 15–17, 2027 | — |
| Pool 4 | February 12–14, 2027 | — |
| Pool 5 | March 12–14, 2027 | Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, Oaks/Derby Double |
| Pool 6 | April 1–3, 2027 | Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, Oaks/Derby Double |
For the first time, the Longines Kentucky Oaks Future Wager runs twice, alongside Pools 5 and 6.
U. S. S. Valor closed as the shortest-priced individual horse in Pool 1 at 6.92-1, and Hughes closed at 8.52-1. Hughes then won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) after Pool 1 closed, so the two colts head into Pool 2 as the top named contenders. The “All Other Colts and Geldings” field closed at 1.07-1.
U. S. S. Valor, a son of War of Will owned by Team Valor International, won the 1-mile Champagne Stakes (Grade I) at Belmont Park in 1:34.84 under Manny Franco and skipped the Breeders’ Cup. Hughes, a son of Into Mischief, won the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 1:42.27 under Flavien Prat, paying $3.64 to win, and is unbeaten.
No. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. If a horse is injured, sick, or misses the starting gate, the bet loses. If Churchill Downs learns of a problem while a pool is open, it immediately suspends betting on that horse, but bets already placed stand.
Early pools pay the highest prices but carry the most risk, because many listed horses never reach the Derby. Late pools carry less risk at shorter prices. Pool 6, April 1–3, 2027, overlaps the final major preps, so it reflects the likely starting gate most closely.
Pool 1 closed at 4:00 p.m. ET on October 30, before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile went off at 4:55 p.m. ET. That means bettors who took Hughes at 8.52-1 priced him before his biggest win. Expect the public to react to that result in Pool 2; when a horse wins a Grade I race between pools, his number usually shortens.
That shifts the value question to the colts the Juvenile did not settle. U. S. S. Valor has not raced since October 3, and his connections have named the Remsen Stakes (Grade II) on December 5, 2026, at Belmont Park as a possible next start, after Pool 2 closes. American History, Breeders’ Futurity (Grade I) winner and Juvenile runner-up, closed at 23.65-1 in Pool 1, a longer price than his Juvenile form alone suggests.
The bets to play in a futures pool are win and exacta; trifectas are not offered. A small win bet on a named contender gives the biggest return per dollar. Example only: a $2 win bet at 6.92-1 returns $15.84 if that horse wins the Derby. Pairing a named horse with “All Others” in a $1 exacta box is a common way to cover the field.
Compare Churchill Downs pool prices with fixed odds before you bet. A fixed price at BUSR locks your number when you bet, not when the pool closes.
Saturday, May 1, 2027, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Post time is TBA.
Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET. It closes Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET.
It is one betting interest covering every male 3-year-old not listed by name. If an unlisted horse wins the Derby, “All Others” wins.
No. If your horse does not start in the Kentucky Derby, the bet loses.
$2 to win and $2 for an exacta, or $1 per combination for exacta boxes and wheels.
Hughes, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, won by 2 1/4 lengths over American History at Keeneland on October 30, 2026.
Get up to a $1,000 Welcome Bonus when you join BUSR, then lock in your Kentucky Derby 2027 futures price before Pool 2 opens on November 26.
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