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The 2023 Kentucky Derby will be held Saturday, May 6 from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s the 149th official “Run for the Roses” with all of the races being held at Churchill Downs since 1875. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race at a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles. The race is open to a field 20 horses, who qualified for the race by earning points on the 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The purse for this year’s race is $3 million.
Last year’s winner was Rich Strike, who beat out Epicenter by 3⁄4 length as an 80-1 longshot. And while we likely won’t have a horse with that high a price in this wide open field, there could still be some huge prices amongst the exotic bets with 18 horses.
2023 Kentucky Derby Latest Odds
| Program Number | Post Position | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Morning Line Odds | Current Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Number | Post Position | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Morning Line Odds | Current Odds |
| 1 | 1 | Hit Show | Brad Cox | Manny Franco | 30-1 | 24-1 |
| 2 | 2 | Verifying | Brad Cox | Tyler Gaffalione | 15-1 | 14-1 |
| 3 | 3 | Two Phil’s | Larry Rivelli | Jareth Loveberry | 12-1 | 9-1 |
| 4 | 4 | Confidence Game | Keith Desormeaux | James Graham | 20-1 | 20-1 |
| 5 | 5 | Tapit Trice | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 5-1 | 9-2 |
| 6 | 6 | Kingsbarns | Todd Pletcher | Jose Ortiz | 12-1 | 11-1 |
| 7 | 7 | Reincarnate | Tim Yakteen | John Velazquez | 50-1 | 14-1 |
| 8 | 8 | Mage | Gustavo Delgado | Javier Castellano | 15-1 | 16-1 |
| 11 | 9 | Disarm | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 30-1 | 26-1 |
| 12 | 10 | Jace’s Road | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux | 50-1 | 32-1 |
| 13 | 11 | Sun Thunder | Kenny McPeek | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 50-1 | 31-1 |
| 14 | 12 | Angel of Empire | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat | 8-1 | 7-2 |
| 16 | 13 | Raise Cain | Ben Colebrook | Gerardo Corrales | 50-1 | 32-1 |
| 17 | 14 | Derma Sotogake | Hidetaka Otonashi | Christophe Lemaire | 10-1 | 8-1 |
| 18 | 15 | Rocket Can | Bill Mott | Junior Alvarado | 30-1 | 28-1 |
| 21 | 16 | Cyclone Mischief | Dale Romans | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 30-1 | 27-1 |
| 22 | 17 | Mandarin Hero | Terunobu Fujita | Kazushi Kimura | 20-1 | 18-1 |
| 23 | 18 | King Russell | Ron Moquett | Rafael Bejarano | 50-1 | 31-1 |
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If this race runs to form expect Reincarnate and Jace’s Road to set the early pace on what could be a faster track than what we’ve seen in the major Derby prep races.
The favorites, Tapit Trice and Angel of Empire should lay a back a little, occupying the middle of the pack through the 3/4 mile pole. Then the action begins.
Forte would have been the likely choice to kick it into high gear about here, but the latest possible scratch means there could be more time to await the pace. The other Todd Pletcher mount in Tapit Trice could be the best overall horse, and probably benefits the most as he might not need as early a move.
Angel of Empire is the best in the late pace and when it comes down to the stretch, and the lack of Forte means Brad Cox’s best chance should find a late line.
If you want to look at sleepers, Kingsbarn and Verifying are good to put in some exotics. Kingsbarn is 3-for-3 in all starts, including a W in the Louisiana Derby six weeks ago. Verifying only has two wins in six starts and threw his training rider off just two days ago in a workout, but with a pair of Equibase finishes at 102 the talent and pace is clearly there.