Best ways for beginners to bet $10 on Renegade in the Kentucky Derby

A full field of three-year-old horses will get in the gate for the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/4-mile dirt race at the storied Louisville, Ky., venue is among the greatest events in all of sports, and arguably the most exciting one, too.

The morning-line favorite for the ‘Run for the Roses’ is the impressive #1 Renegade (4-1), who is perfect from two runs in 2026. Owned by Mike Repole and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher, the colt has displayed a huge closing kick in both appearances this calendar year and seems perfectly suited to handle the added distance that he will have to negotiate on Saturday. 

For those who are new to the game or make wagers every year on just the Triple Crown races, the variety of betting options available to a person can be a bit intimidating, to say the least. But keeping it relatively simple is always a sound option. The most basic way to attack the Derby from a betting standpoint is to place a WIN wager on Renegade, which is pretty self-explanatory - if he wins the Derby, then you win!

Win Wager

• $10 win #1 Renegade ($10)

Another viable play for newcomers to the game is an EXACTA wager, which is riskier but can often yield much higher rewards.

To cash in on an exacta play, a bettor must select the top two finishers of the Derby in the exact order of finish. And the beauty of this play is that it has a $1 base with no limit on the number of combinations that you can use.

In this particular circumstance, choosing Renegade in the first slot with a total of 10 horses in the second spot could be a lot of fun. As long as Renegade wins, and one of your 10 selected horses finishes second, then you will cash your Kentucky Derby exacta ticket (and have bragging rights until the 2027 Derby, too). 

Exacta Wager

• $1 Exacta: 1 with 6,7,8,9,12,14,15,18,19,20 ($10)

Good luck and Happy Derby!