Kentucky Derby 2023 predictions, odds: Top expert picks for win, place, exacta, trifecta, superfecta

Several of the top 2023 Kentucky Derby contenders have been consistently winning races over the past year, while others are flying under the radar as late bloomers. Skinner needed four races to notch his maiden win, and he has a pair of third-place finishes since then. He was sired by Curlin, who produced 2016 Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator and 2013 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice. Skinner will be ridden by Juan Hernandez and is a 20-1 longshot in the 2023 Kentucky Derby odds for Saturday's race at Churchill Downs.

Forte is the 3-1 favorite in the 2023 Kentucky Derby odds, while Tapit Trice is 5-1 and Angel of Empire is 8-1. Rich Strike's win last year was the second-largest upset in Kentucky Derby history, so should you target with your 2023 Kentucky Derby bets? Post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. With so much to consider while making your 2023 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way.

Saturday's post positions were randomly assigned to the 20 horses in the 2023 Kentucky Derby field on Monday. History is on the side of Tapit Trice, with the highest number of previous winners coming from the No. 5 post position (10). The most recent champion from that position was Always Dreaming in 2017. Rich Strike won from the No. 20 post last year as an 80-1 longshot.

Given all the history, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Kentucky Derby like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2023 Kentucky Derby picks possible.

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 five 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 on those horse racing picks is up huge. Now, he's sharing all of his 2023 Kentucky Derby bets here.

Top 2023 Kentucky Derby expert picks

Here's a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine's Jody Demling:

Kentucky Derby Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $4,101.20 at the 2022 Kentucky Derby with Rich Strike and Epicenter.

Kentucky Derby Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $14,870.70 at the 2022 Kentucky Derby with Rich Strike, Epicenter and Zandon.

Kentucky Derby Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $321,500.10 at the 2022 Kentucky Derby with Rich Strike, Epicenter, Zandon and Simplification.

While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Forte (3-1), he plans to hold tickets with Derma Sotogake (10-1) and a massive double-digit underdog who could really spice up the payouts. You can see his picks here. 

How to make 2023 Kentucky Derby bets

Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Kentucky Derby 2023. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.