FanDuel Racing is a name you’ll hear more and more in Florida as the parent company brings its sportsbook branding to the horse racing betting world. The horse racing app, which operates in legal gambling states and is affiliated with the nation’s leading sportsbook of the same name, is one of the top choices for Kentucky Derby betting in Florida. While facing familiar competition in the field, FanDuel Racing also faces new competitors in the Florida horse racing betting market.
DK Equine new equine racing wagering player about FL field
DK Horse, an app operated by daily fantasy giant DraftKings, recently launched in several states, including Florida, Kentucky and Virginia. The app offers familiar options for experienced horse players, including win, place and show straight bets. There are also daily doubles, Pick 3 and Pick 4 contests, as well as exactas (selecting first and second place), trifectas (selecting first, second, and third), and superfectas (selecting the top four horses in the correct order) that can result in potentially large payouts. The latter three bets can be “boxed” for an additional cost, which means you win regardless of the order of finish for the two, three or four horses in your wager.
DK Horse implies DraftKings cartouche with FanDuel continues
DK Horse can compete with FanDuel Racing. The DFS leaders also offer sports betting and casino options and have added a new field of competition to their lineups. FanDuel Racing may have an early advantage in Florida as it is already familiar to many bettors through TVG, which was launched in 1999. The rebranding of TVG to FanDuel TV took place in the summer of 2022, so the “new” site already had a large built-in audience. Residents of Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois and two dozen other states already had access to the TVG product prior to the name change. Horse players can expect to find similar betting opportunities on either app, so the preference of DFS players for either DraftKings or FanDuel will likely influence which site is chosen.
Florida Derby winner Strength continues regional FL relationship
While parimutuel odds on horse races are subject to change until the horses leave the starting gate from their post positions, both Forte and Tapit Trice may feature odds of 5-to-1 or lower. Forte is the favorite and isn’t the first Florida Derby winner to earn that honor at Churchill Downs. A second tier in the betting pecking order includes Angel of Disposition, Derma Soto Gake, Practical Push, Kingsbarns, and Two Phil’s. Looking for a longshot in the 20-horse field? You might see odds of 50-to-1 or higher on Extenderse, Jace’s Road, Double Cain, Sunlight Thunder and Reincarnate. A middle ground could include one longshot in a “trifecta box” play, as a surprisingly strong finish from the high-risk play could result in a big payout. Florida has produced six Kentucky Derby winners, but none in the last quarter-century: Silver Charm in 1997, Unbridled in 1990, Triple Crown winner Affirmed in 1978, Foolish Pleasure in 1975, Carry Back in 1961 and Needles in 1956. All but three horses in this year’s field were bred in Kentucky, except for two horses bred in Japan and one in Pennsylvania.
Mark Brennan has covered the issue of the expansion of legal sports betting since New Jersey voters approved a ballot issue supporting the idea in 2011. He covered the lawsuit involving the NFL and four other sports organizations against the state from 2012 to 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 26-year-old federal law that had effectively granted Nevada a monopoly on sports betting. Since then, Brennan has been monitoring gambling legalization efforts in every state, including Florida.
