The Contest

The Kentucky Derby…Derby will let you show off your Handicapping chops. To enter you will select 1 horse to win the 152nd  Run for the Roses, you will select a different horse to finish 2^nd and a third horse to run 3^rd.

You will get a “pretend” $2 win, place and show ticket on your 1^st place choice, a $2 place and show ticket on your 2^nd place choice and a $2 show ticket for your 3^rd selection. You also will get a $1 exacta straight bet on your 1^st to 2^nd place horses and a $1 trifecta straight ticket for correctly selecting all 3 top finishers exactly.

The winner with the most pretend winnings won is the winner! We have prizes for Win, Place and Show or the top 3. Prizes include a day at Emerald Downs and a cash voucher.

For complete rules and details see below the entry form.

**REMINDER, you MUST fully complete the entry form or your entry will be disqualified. Good Luck everyone in Professor DW’s Kentucky Derby…DERBY!

 

 

Official Rules for Professor DW’s Kentucky Derby…DERBY!

Eligibility 

1. This contest is 100% free of charge and you must be at least 18 years of age to participate.
2. Employees and active contractors of Eli Sports Network are not eligible to win. They may participate but are ineligible to win.
3. Contestants are allowed 1 entry per person.
4. Entries are due Saturday, May 2, 2025, at 2pm Pacific Time
5. You must FULLY complete the entry information. If your entry is incomplete, you will be disqualified from the contest.
6. To select your 3 choices pick 1 in each of the 3 columns, one for your win pick, one for your place pick and one for your show pick. Do not make multiple choices in a single column.

Contest

The Kentucky Derby…Derby will let you show off your Handicapping chops. To enter you will select 1 horse to win the 152 Run for the Roses, you will select a different horse to finish 2nd,  a third horse to run 3rd and 4th horse to place 4th.

You will get a “pretend” $2 win, place and show ticket on your 1^st place choice, a $2 place and show ticket on your 2^nd place choice and a $2 show ticket for your 3^rd selection. You also will get a $1 exacta “box” bet on your 1^st to 2^nd place horses, a $1 trifecta “box” ticket for correctly selecting the 3 top finishers and a $1 superfecta “box” ticket which means you picked the top 4 finishers. **The “Box” bet is one that means your selections may finish in any order and not exact. For example, the $1 exacta your 1st place selection and 2nd place selection must finish 1st and 2nd in either order. If you picked #1 and #5 then you win as long as #1 or #5 wins and #1 or #5 places 2nd.

This is the same for the trifecta which is picking the top 3 finishers so your top 3 picks may finish in any order as long as all 3 are 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The same for the superfecta but all 4 picks must finish 1st thru 4th place in any order.

You will then get credit for any of these tickets that cash. For example, let’s say you pick the winner, and the $2 bets paid $20 to win, $12 to place and $5 to show you would be credited with $37 if neither of your other 2 picks finished in the top 3.

You will get credit for any of the tickets that would cash in the real sense. If your top pick gets 3^rd and pays $6 to show and your 2^nd pick wins and pays $10 to place and $5 to show your total would then be $21 banked. You would only get the place and show money even if your 2^nd pick wins and only the show money on your 3^rd pick if it finishes 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd.

To win the exacta your top 2 horses must finish 1^st and 2^nd in either order and the trifecta all 3 must finish 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in any order and the same for the superfecta your picks may finish in any order but must be 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

The highest banked total of winnings will win the Kentucky Derby…DERBY! Second highest gets 2^nd place and 3^rd highest takes 3^rd place.

Horse #21 and above

If there is a horse #21 or more they are what’s called “Also Eligible”. The only way an also eligible horse can run in the Kentucky Derby is if there is a scratch of one of the 20 horses entered and in a timely manner. For the purposes of this contest, you may select an also eligible horse at your own risk. If you select a horse that is on this list and they do not run you have wasted your chance.

Better yet, wait until after 9am on Friday, May 1 to make your selections and then you will know which horses are set to run on Saturday. 9am on Friday, May 1 is the deadline for horses in the race to be scratched and then an also eligible will have a chance to run in the race starting with #21 up to #24.

So if you wait until the scratch deadline you will know exactly which horses are starting in the Derby.

Scratches

After the official scratch deadline of 9am Friday, May 1 2026, no other “also eligible’s” can be entered for Saturday’s race. However, that doesn’t mean a horse still can’t be scratched and if one or more are scratched after the deadline and you selected one or more then you lose that selection and will compete with fewer than 4 picks. 

But we will push your selections up. For example, if your 2nd place choice is scratched late, then we will automatically push your 3rd place horse to 2nd place, and 4th place horse to 3rd. This allows you to have active win, place and show bets and exacta and trifecta wagers. You would only lose out your superfecta bet.

Official Order

The results will 100% depend on the final Official finish as ruled by the Kentucky Churchill Downs Stewards and the pay-outs used will be solely those provided by Churchill Downs. Any post official race results disputed at a later date will have no impact on this contest.

Tie-Breaker

The tie-breaker will be your prediction of what the $1 Superfecta bet will pay. The Superfecta is the bet where you have to select the top 4 finishers in exact order. Your guess can go down to the penny such as $567.89.

And as usual, the Price is Right rule is in effect and you can’t go over. So if someone guesses $567.89 and it actually paid $567.88 you would lose to anyone who guessed below that all the way down to a single penny.

You do not have to select any horse placings in the tie-breaker simply your guess of what the $1 Superfecta bet will pay to those with winning tickets.

If all guesses involved in a tie-breaker are over then the closest one would win. If there is still a tie then the prize(s) will be split evenly between the winners.

 

Prizes

1. Winners are responsible for claiming all winnings and taxes.
2. Grand Prize is a Day for 8 at Emerald Downs for the 2026 racing season with limited blackout dates plus a $100 cash. 
3. 2nd Place is a day for 6 at Emerald Downs for the 2026 racing season with limited blackout dates plus a $60 cash. 
4. 3rd Place is a day for 4 at Emerald Downs for the 2026 racing season with limited blackout dates plus a $40 cash. 
5. 4th Place is a day for 4 at Emerald Downs for the 2026 racing season with limited blackout dates plus a $20 cash. 
6. 5th through 10^th will get 2 admissions to Emerald Downs for the 2026 racing season with limited blackout dates. Any and all ties for 4^th through 10^th will all receive 2 admissions.

*All admissions will be via Will Call. You will need to notify our Eli Sports Network contact and they will call in your name to Emerald Downs and your party will enter through the Will Call gate.

Judges Decision is Final

Any and all decisions not covered within the rules will be made by the judges and that will be the final ruling.

Receiving and Forfeiture of Prizes

Contestants must provide proper address to ESN to receive their prize via mail. Or they must make arrangements to pick up their prize in person at the offices of the Eli Sports Network in Centralia, WA.

If a contestant has not provided proper mailing or delivery instructions or have arranged to personally pick up their prize(s) by the following deadline then they automatically forfeit all prizes and compensation due them from winning the FREE Professor DW Kentucky Derby…DERBY! Contest.

Deadline to claim all prizes is May 31, 2026.