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Kentucky Derby favorite Forte scratched from race on Saturday, Skinner also out

A wild turn of events means the pre-race chalk won’t leave the barn at Churchill Downs, and one-quarter of the field will have changed.

By Chinmay Vaidya

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Forte is worked out on the backside at Churchill Downs in the early morning before the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2023, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The favorite to win the Kentucky Derby will not make it to the starting gate, as Forte was scratched by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission due to a hitch in his gallop after a Saturday morning workout.

The Florida Derby winner was the 3-1 choice via the morning line, but a stumble during a morning gallop on Thursday put his status in jeopardy. It’s clear that owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher thought the horse could compete, but the KHRC veterinarian disagreed and pulled the horse from the race.

Skinner, a John Shirreffs trainee listed at 20-1 will also not compete, leaving the field with just 18 mounts instead of 20. They join another pre-race favorite in Practical Move, Lord Miles, and Continuar who all previously withdrew. Having no Forte or Practical Move means the top two horses in the Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying series won’t make the race.

As of May 6 at 12:15 p.m. ET, here is the updated field with new post positions for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

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
Scratch Scratch Practical Move Tim Yakteen Ramon Vazquez 10-1
Scratch Scratch Lord Miles Saffie Joseph Jr. Paco Lopez 30-1
Scratch Scratch Continuar Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai 50-1
Scratch Scratch Skinner John Shirreffs Juan Hernandez 20-1
Scratch Scratch Forte Todd Pletcher Irad Ortiz Jr. 3-1

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