Candidates for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, their horses, the field, and the odds: Picks from a professional who consistently wins in the pre-races

Should you place your wagers at Churchill Downs on Forte, Derma Sotogake, or Kingsbarns for the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

Several diverse lineages and geographical areas are represented among the 2023 Kentucky Derby candidates. Verifying, a horse by Triple Crown victor Justify, is one whose father requires no introduction. As a three-year-old, Verifying has competed in three races, winning at Oaklawn Park, placing fourth in the Rebel Stakes, and placing second in the Blue Grass Stakes. For the race on Saturday at Churchill Downs, he is a 15-1 long shot according to the 2023 Kentucky Derby odds. The 3-1 favourite for the 2023 Kentucky Derby is Forte, followed by Tapit Trice (5-1) and Angel of Empire (8-1). All three might serve as the main wagering options for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

The Triple Crown’s first leg will be called at 6:57 p.m. ET. You should wait to make any Kentucky Derby predictions until you hear what SportsLine’s horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say about the top contenders in this competitive 2023 Kentucky Derby field.

For almost 14 years, Menez, a former Sports Illustrated reporter and editor, covered a variety of sports for the publication and its website, including horse racing. He was SI’s Triple Crown handicapper from 2010 to 2012, and in 2010 he projected Super Saver would win the Kentucky Derby. Menez correctly predicted the 2015 Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund, and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2, while writing for Sports on Earth. After that, in 2017, he tweeted his Kentucky Derby predictions, including Always Dreaming to win, and he won the Pick 4, which returned over $6,900 on a $1 wager.

Menez won $798.70 when he nailed the Pick 5 at Santa Anita Park on December 26. The winner of the Lecomte Stakes ($172.50), the exacta in the Southwest Stakes ($468), the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes ($180), the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes ($228), the place horse in the Rebel Stakes ($102.50), and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes ($255.50) are all winners in his most recent seven races for SportsLine.

He has now chosen his picks and put together his wagers after handicapping the 2023 Kentucky Derby field. Only here can you view them.

Expert predictions for the Kentucky Derby in 2023

One surprise: Forte is losing ground to Menez, despite the fact that he is the current two-year-old champion and the 3-1 favourite for the Kentucky Derby. The son of Violence by Queen Caroline has six victories in seven attempts and has amassed five victories in graded stakes races. With 190 points and approximately $2.4 million in career earnings, he had the highest ranking in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings among all of the horses entered in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. The durability of his speed over a longer race is up for debate, though.

Menez expresses concern about Forte’s declining Beyer Speed Figures, which have dropped from 100 in his final race as a two-year-old at the Breeders’ Cup Futurity to 98 in his victory at the Fountain of Youth Stakes and 95 at the Florida Derby. Practical Move, Verifying, and Tapit Trice all had Beyer Speed Figures that were higher than Forte’s best during their third season than Two Phils. Find out which other horses should falter here.

Another surprise: Despite the fact that Two Phil’s is a 12-1 longshot, Menez is optimistic about his chances. Last summer, he won a two-year-old event at Canterbury before breaking his maiden at Colonial Downs in Virginia on the second try. He had useful experience on this track because to Two Phil’s additional victory in the Street Sense in October at Churchill Downs.

Then, at age three, he produced strong efforts in the Lecomte and Risen Star. When Two Phil’s stormed away with the Jeff Ruby Steaks, scoring a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, the best for any three-year-old male this year, he secured his place in the 2023 Kentucky Derby field and demonstrated his versatility. Even though the synthetic surface may have contributed to some of that pace, Menez believes Two Phil’s is underrated going into the race on Saturday. Check out the other horses you should back here.

How to bet on the Kentucky Derby in 2023

Menez believes that the best horse is one that is “getting better at the right time.” In addition, he has a big double-digit longshot who “always passes horses late.” He is including these horses in his Kentucky Derby wagers for 2023, and you ought to do the same. Only at SportsLine is he disclosing which horses to back.

The Kentucky Derby is won by what double-digit longshot, then? What odds-of-double-digit long shots must be backed? And how has Menez put together his bets? Check out the most recent Kentucky Derby odds for 2023 below, then go over to SportsLine to check Menez’s Kentucky Derby predictions, all from the professional who predicted this year’s preliminaries.

odds, horses, and post draw for the 2023 Kentucky Derby