News

American University Class Uses AI to Pick Kentucky Derby Winner

Written by Kogod School of Business | July 14, 2026

The article explores how students in Bakowicz's course developed an AI-powered model to forecast the Kentucky Derby, demonstrating how emerging technologies can be applied to sports analytics, predictive modeling, and data-driven decision-making.

Key Takeaways:

  • Students built an AI model to analyze Kentucky Derby contenders using data-driven methods rather than intuition alone.
  • The project gave students practical experience applying artificial intelligence and analytics to a real-world sports business challenge.
  • Bakowicz discusses both the potential and the limitations of AI as a decision-support tool, emphasizing the importance of combining technology with human judgment.

“This is really like the Christmas of sports betting,” Professor Bakowicz said.

Read the full article.