2023 Kentucky Derby horses, futures, odds, date: Expert who nailed 10 Derby-Oaks Doubles gives picks
Two of the horses creating a buzz heading into the 2023 Kentucky Derby are Angel of Empire and Victory Formation, who ran on February 18 in the Risen Star Stakes in Louisiana. Although the latter is 23-1 to win in the latest 2023 Kentucky Derby odds, Victory Formation got caught outside of the pack and finished ninth, while Angel of Empire went on to win his first graded stakes. How much confidence should you have in each colt in the 2023 Kentucky Derby futures? By comparison, the early 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite, Forte (8-1), has already run in four graded stakes events and won three of them.
Hoosier Philly (11-1) holds the second-best early odds among the 2023 Kentucky Derby contenders and finished third in her last event after winning the Grade-2 Golden Rod Stakes in late November. Before making any 2023 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2023 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last fives years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also nailed Flightline's win at the Breeders' Cup Classic last November.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2023. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 14 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but four times in the last 14 years. He's also called nine of the last 18 Preakness winners, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset, and nailed the 2022 Preakness trifecta. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, with the 2023 Kentucky Derby futures already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2023 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling's surprising 2023 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Forte, saying the favorite doesn't even crack the top five. One of the unquantifiable things about horses that is tough to predict is the transition from their two-year-old form to three-years-old. While it's equally as likely that Forte will prove to be as dominant as he has started out, there is still the possibility that he could stagnate from his recent ascent.
Forte has proven most comfortable as a stalker, and post position could ultimately play a role in his Kentucky Derby 2023 upside. While there is little doubt that Forte is strong enough to close down the stretch, a slow break from a less-than-ideal position could derail his entire race. With other compelling horses holding longer odds, the return on Forte isn't as enticing. See which other 2023 Kentuchorses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Blazing Sevens, even though he's a 27-1 longshot. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The Chad Brown-trained horse is currently sitting in seventh place on the qualifying leaderboard, racking up 16 points thus far. He has won two of his four career starts, including the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in October.
His most recent performance was a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November, setting him up for the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in March. The winner of that race will receive 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby 2023, so Demling is targeting Blazing Sevens sooner rather than later. He also has strong family ties as the son of Good Magic, who finished in second place behind Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an even bigger longshot who has "a lot of room to improve," and could make a serious charge at Churchill Downs. Anyone who backs this horse could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
