Kentucky Derby 2023: Mage can turn the tables on Forte
With 20 of the best three-year-olds in the country, the Kentucky Derby offers the biggest field in American racing, making it the best horse racing betting opportunity of the year. Find out the best places to bet the race online in California, and see which horses can be the key to a huge Derby Day payout!
The most exciting two minutes in sports is coming up Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs: the Kentucky Derby! If you like betting top horse races, there is no better race to play than the Run for the Roses: the race features 20 of the best three-year-olds in the country going a taxing 1 ¼ miles on the dirt, and the winner earns the lion’s share of a $3 million purse and a place in horse racing history!
Keep reading to find out the best horses to play in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and the best places for Kentucky Derby online betting in California.
Kentucky Derby Betting Online
Not everyone can make it from California to Kentucky to run for the roses, but you can be part of the action from anywhere with an internet connection! Our online racebook reviews show you the best places for California horseplayers to bet the Kentucky Derby online. With so many options for online wagering, they take out the guesswork.
All of our recommended sites have market-leading odds, trusted payouts, and great user interfaces. Our reviews can also help you choose the best racebook bonuses for how you like to play. Taking a few minutes now to choose the most profitable rebates, deposit incentives, or sign-up bonuses can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars for your bankroll!
Kentucky Derby Field
This is the official field for the 2023 Kentucky Derby including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds:
- Hit Show (Brad Cox / Manny Franco) - 30/1
- Verifying (Brad Cox / Tyler Gaffalione) - 15/1
- Two Phil’s (Larry Rivelli / Jareth Loveberry) - 12/1
- Confidence Game (Keith Desormeaux / James Graham) - 20/1
- Tapit Trice (Todd Pletcher / Luis Saez) - 5/1
- Kingsbarns (Todd Pletcher / Jose Ortiz) - 12/1
- Reincarnate (Tim Yakteen / John Velazquez) - 50/1
- Mage (Gustavo Delgado / Javier Castellano) - 15/1
- Skinner (John Shirreffs / Juan Hernandez) - 20/1
- Practical Move (Tim Yakteen / Ramon Vazquez) - 10/1
- Disarm (Steve Asmussen / Joel Rosario) - 30/1
- Jace’s Road (Brad Cox / Florent Geroux) - 15/1
- Sun Thunder (Kenny McPeek / Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 50/1
- Angel of Empire (Brad Cox / Flavien Prat) - 8/1
- Forte (Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 3/1
- Raise Cain (Ben Colebrook / Gerardo Corrales) - 50/1
- Derma Sotogake (Hidetaka Otonashi / Christophe Lemaire) - 10/1
- Rocket Can (Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado) - 30/1
- Lord Miles (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Paco Lopez) - 30/1
- Continuar (Yosito Yahagi / Ryusei Sakai) - 50/1
- ALSO ELIGIBLE - Cyclone Mischief (Dale Romans / Joel Rosario) - 30/1
- ALSO ELIGIBLE - Mandarin Hero (Terunobu Fujita / Kazushi Kimura) - 20/1
- ALSO ELIGIBLE - King Russell (Ron Moquett / Rafael Bejarano) - 50/1
Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero, and King Russell will only draw in, in that order of priority, if horses scratch from the main field before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, when Kentucky Derby betting begins.
Keep in mind that the morning line is just the track’s best guess about what the odds will look like on race day. Odds on track are not set until the gates pop open. Your best bet is to play the Kentucky Derby at a trusted online racebook. That way, you can lock in the best price the moment you bet!
These are the Kentucky Derby betting odds for contenders at the top of the market:
Kentucky Derby Handicapping
With your betting account all set up, it is time to meet the leading contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Derby:
Kentucky Derby Best Bet
Mage is the best bet in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. Though he has tables to turn on favorite Forte from the Florida Derby (G1), he can. That day, he started poorly and had to close from far off the pace. But, that isn’t his natural style. He has good tactical speed, and with a better start he should get a good forward trip in a Kentucky Derby without a surfeit of early speed.
Mage also has a strong distance pedigree, with positive Classic influences top and bottom. With that, his natural speed, and the ability to run well even if things go badly (as happened in the Florida Derby), he gives a lot for long shot odds.
Kentucky Derby Favorites
Forte will be the shortest price in the Kentucky Derby. Last year’s champion juvenile male has led the betting through futures pools all year long. He impressed in both his preps, winning the Fountain of Youth quite easily while closing to win when things looked impossible in the Florida Derby. He won’t get a sharp pace to close into in Kentucky, but he should be in the picture late.
Tapit Trice is the most interesting of the shorter-priced horses. He moved forward well in the Blue Grass (G1): he handled an inside post in a big field, got in the clear, and finished well to mow down the pace-advantaged Verifying. With another big field to handle here, that set of abilities will come in handy again, and his pedigree is all stamina, top and bottom.
It also makes sense to look at the leader of the California prep group, Practical Move. He has won his last three races at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita, keeping his form as the distances get longer. He has good tactical speed. And, even though he only won by a nose over Mandarin Hero last out, the Tim Yakteen trainee showed toughness that will serve him well in the Run for the Roses.
Kentucky Derby Exotics Horses
Even though Two Phil’s comes out of a final prep on Tapeta and not dirt, that Jeff Ruby (G3) win came back fast whether you prefer Beyer, Brisnet, or TimeformUS speed ratings. He can finish well even when the pace doesn’t fall apart. And, he is still a well proven dirt horse: he was competitive on the Louisiana spur of the Derby trail, and he is a Grade 3 winner on Churchill’s dirt.
It is also worth considering Derma Sotogake. In a race without a ton of early speed, he will either set the pace or be very close to it. He has to reverse a negative trend for UAE Derby runners in the Kentucky Derby, but given how strong Japan-based horses have been at the world’s biggest meets and how well Japan’s dirt speed has held with Americans, he fits well.
2023 Kentucky Derby Free Picks
With your online betting account all set up, and with your introduction to the major contenders, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2023 Kentucky Derby:
- $20 win/place/show: #8 Mage
- $1 Exacta Key: #5 Tapit Trice with #17 Derma Sotogake, #8 Mage, and #3 Two Phil’s,
- $1 Trifecta Key: #5 Tapit Trice with #17 Derma Sotogake, #15 Forte, #8 Mage, and #3 Two Phil’s
- $1 Superfecta Key: #5 Tapit Trice with #17 Derma Sotogake, #15 Forte, #10 Practical Move, #8 Mage, and #3 Two Phil’s
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