Kentucky Derby 2026 Picks, Betting Guide and Saturday Best Bets for Derby Day

Kentucky Derby Day

If you’re looking for last-minute Kentucky Derby advice, Patrick Meagher and Mike Somich are your guys.

They’ll host VSiN At The Track from 4-8 p.m. ET. Post time is 6:57, so we’re giving them time to celebrate — or commiserate — after the race. (Don’t worry, they’ll hit other topics, too. It’s a busy sports day.)

Here are some quick links with more advice:

VSiN Kentucky Derby Betting Guide: Betting strategies for the Derby, plus past-performance charts from the Daily Racing Form.

VSiN Pros can download the 19-page PDF here →

Get the Triple Crown Special for $14.99 →

VSiN At The Track podcast: The latest episode has Derby picks from Somich and Aaron Halterman.

Watch VSiN At The Track →

Listen to the podcast →

More Derby opinions: NBC’s Drew Dinsick, Fox’s Chris Fallica, DRF’s David Aragona and more have weighed in this week.

Watch all Derby clips in one place →

Derby Day picks: VSiN and Daily Racing Form experts offer their picks on the Run for the Roses and the undercard.

Derby Day picks, analysis and more →

Take it for what it’s worth: I made my picks using everything I picked up this week and running it through AI analysis.

Take a look at my Derby card →

(A $300 bankroll is on the low side for me. My girlfriend’s Derby party outfit will cost more.)

NBA Playoffs: Game 7s incoming

The Lakers finally eliminated the Rockets, but Pistons-Magic and Cavs-Raptors are both headed to Game 7.

Saturday’s NBA card is light, but it features the best two words in sports: Game 7.

Saturday’s NBA menu:

Sixers (+7.5) at Celtics, 7:30 ET (NBC/Peacock). Total: 205.5. Series tied 3-3.

NBA player prop projections from Opta AI →

Check standings & picks in the VSiN / KillerSports Challenge →

Zach Cohen’s NBA Report: More 1st round insanity

The eighth-seeded Magic had the top-seeded Pistons on the ropes. Orlando led by 22 at halftime of Game 6, and Detroit looked finished. Then the Pistons spent the second half landing haymakers while the Magic forgot how to punch.

In one of the wildest turnarounds of the postseason, Detroit stormed back for a 93-79 win to force Game 7 at home. The Pistons held Orlando to just 19 second-half points, and the Magic missed 23 consecutive shots at one point. Detroit is now a 9.5-point favorite on Sunday, and to say the Pistons have momentum would be an understatement.

The game in Toronto was just as absurd. Cleveland looked ready to close the series, leading 110-109 with the ball and 18.8 seconds left in overtime. Then the Cavaliers coughed it up, RJ Barrett launched a 29-footer that hit the back rim, bounced high enough to be seen from the CN Tower and somehow dropped. Toronto stole it, and now Cleveland has to survive a Game 7 of its own on Sunday.

Cleveland is favored by 7.5 in that one, but James Harden does have a way of coughing up Game 7s.

The only calm result of the night came in Houston, where the Lakers finally finished off the Rockets to book a second-round date with the Thunder. We’ll have a full Lakers-Thunder series preview up later today.

Sixers-Celtics

Saturday’s lone NBA game is a good one. Boston hosts Philadelphia in Game 7, with the winner moving on to face the Knicks. The Celtics are still 7.5-point favorites at TD Garden, even though the Sixers have looked like the better team for two straight games.

This Celtics core has tormented Joel Embiid in the postseason. Can the big man finally flip the script?

Zach’s Best Bets →

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