Kentucky Derby 2023 forecast: Which horses have done the best in rain?
There has been little to no rain on Kentucky Derby day the last three years, with last year’s Derby getting less than one-tenth of an inch of rain.
But it was five years ago when Churchill Downssaw 3.15 inches of rain, the most in Derby history. Justify slogged to the victory.
Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 73 degrees with a 24% chance of rain during the day and 58% chance at night, according to Weather.com Thursday morning. The Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m.
According to America’s Best Racing, 13 of the 20 starters have raced on a wet track with several faring well. Here are six contenders who have had success on muddy tracks:
Not only does Two Phil’s have experience running on a sloppy track, but he’s done so at Churchill Downs after winning the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes by 5 ¼ lengths on Oct. 30. That race included another Derby horse, Jace's Road, who finished eighth.
Like Two Phil’s, Rocket Can is no stranger to trudging through the mud at Churchill Downs. He broke his maiden Oct. 30, winning a maiden special weight by two lengths.
After finishing fourth in the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga on July 16, Forte went back to the track less than two months later and won the Hopeful Stakes in the mud by three lengths. The victory was the first of five straight wins for the 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite.
Having only four points prior to the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 4 at Aqueduct, Raise Cain came from the back of the pack to win on the muddy track by 7 ½ lengths, scoring 50 points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. It was also his first stakes win.
Facing stakes-winning colts Reincarnate and Verifying, Confidence Game defied the 18-1 odds on the sloppy Oaklawn Park track on Feb. 25 to win the Rebel Stakes by a length. Reincarnate and Verifying finished third and fourth, respectively. Confidence Game has not raced since.
Tapit Trice broke his maiden in mud, winning by a neck on Dec. 17 at Aqueduct during a 1-mile special maiden weight. Since then, he’s won three straight races.
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