2023 Kentucky Derby odds, post positions, early favorites

Ladies and gentleman, we’ve arrived at one of the great sports betting holidays on the sporting calendar: The First Saturday in May. 

And that can only mean one thing – it’s time to run for the roses.

The 2023 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 6 at 6:57 p.m. ET live from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The field will consist of 20 horses and is highlighted by No. 15 Forte, who is the clear morning-line favorite with 3-1 odds ($10 bet would net you $30).

Forte will ride into Churchill Downs with five consecutive wins after winning three straight Grade 1 stakes races in 2022 and then followed up with a victory at the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby, his final prep race for the “Run for the Roses.”

The main competition for Forte is expected to be No. 5 Tapit Trice (5-1) and No. 14 Angel of Empire (8-1), the only other horses with single-digit odds. 

No. 10 Practical Move (10-1) also comes into the Derby in hot form with three wins on the spin, but another horse at the same odds. 

No. 17 Derma Sotogake (10-1), may be the more popular play in this range with punters.

One of two entrants from Japan, Derma Sotogake will try to become the first horse from Asia to win the first leg of the Triple Crown. 

The other horse from Japan, No. 20 Continuar (50-1), is the biggest longshot in the field.

But hey, we all remember what happened last year when Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby as an 80-1 outsider.