With a full field of 20 horses, the Kentucky Derby is the best betting race of the year! With everyone trying the Classic 1 1/4-mile distance for the first time, it means there are always live long shots who can hit the board and even win! It is a handicapping challenge like no other, and everyone who figures it out gets paid handsomely. So, keep reading to find out the best horses to bet in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and the best places to bet the race online in Colorado!
The most exciting betting race of the year is coming up Saturday, May 6: the 2023 Kentucky Derby! 20 of the best three-year-old horses in the country will go 1 ¼ miles on the dirt at Churchill Downs for one of the greatest prizes in sports: the lion’s share of a $3 million purse, an iconic blanket of roses, and a place in horse racing history!
Whether you are a horse race betting professional or you are new to playing the horses, the huge field of classy horses means the Kentucky Derby is the can’t-miss betting event of the year. Keep reading to find out the best horses to play in the Run for the Roses, and to find out the best places to bet the Kentucky Derby online in Colorado!
The Kentucky Derby is exciting no matter what, but it is even more fun when you are part of the action. Signing up for a Colorado horse betting website is the best way to get involved! After all, betting online means you can place your bet from anywhere with an internet connection. And, all of our recommended betting sites have market-leading odds and trusted payouts.
Betting online is better than playing at the track for several reasons. Online racebooks offer fixed-odds betting on major races, meaning you can lock in the best price the moment you bet. You can’t do that at the track. Furthermore, online betting sites offer great racebook bonuses you’ll never find trackside, such as horse racing rebates, deposit incentives, and sign-up benefits.
These are the best Kentucky Derby online betting sites for Colorado players.
Kentucky Derby Contenders
The official field for the 2023 Kentucky Derby with post positions, jockeys and trainers, and morning lines is:
Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero, and King Russell will only draw in, in that order of priority, if horses scratch from the main field before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, when Kentucky Derby betting begins.
Remember that the morning lines listed are just Churchill Downs’s best guess for what the Kentucky Derby odds will be come post time. You are not guaranteed those odds. The best way to get the best Kentucky Derby odds is to play at an online sportsbook, where you can lock in an overlay as soon as you bet the race.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forte | +300 | +275 | +400 |
| Tapit Trice | +600 | +650 | +600 |
| Angel of Empire | +900 | +1200 | +900 |
| Kingsbarns | +1000 | +1000 | +1300 |
| Practical Move | +1000 | +1200 | +1100 |
| Two Phil's | +1200 | +1600 | +1300 |
It is typically worth looking at the favorite in the Kentucky Derby; in the ten years since the beginning of the points system, the favorite has won six times and never been outside of the superfecta.
The favorite in 2023 will be Forte. He was the champion juvenile last year, and carried that momentum into his three-year-old season with wins in both the Fountain of Youth (G2) and the Florida Derby (G1). One was easy, one was gutsy, and both showed that he has a deep set of tools that can help him run a good Kentucky Derby.
The most interesting among the shorter-priced horses is Tapit Trice. He showed increasing maturity when winning the Blue Grass (G1): he shook off a trend of breaking poorly, overcame a rail draw in a big field, got in the clear, and reeled in Verifying, who had a pace advantage that day. The extra distance will only help him given his deep stamina pedigree.
It is also worth looking at Practical Move for exotics. The leader of the California spur of the Derby trail, he only won the Santa Anita Derby (G1) by a nose over the well-meant Mandarin Hero (who would be a serious contender if he made the field), but showed the grit he needed to dig in and win. In a race that should set up for tactical speed, he could get a good tracking trip.
There is one long shot in the Kentucky Derby who stands to be a massive overlay on the win end: Mage. Though he lost by a length in the Florida Derby, that was after trouble at the start. He had to close from well off the pace that day, proving that he was able to run a good race even if things did not go his way. For a horse so lightly-raced, that’s a lot to have shown by Derby time.
And, if the start goes well? He should be able to get a good tracking spot, and work the tactical trip that has a good chance to be a winning one. No matter what, he has a strong stamina pedigree, too, being by Good Magic out of Puca, a dirt-oriented Big Brown half to the stout turf router Finnegans Wake.
Two Phil’s took his final prep in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) over the Tapeta at Turfway, and blew that field out of the water. Even though the surface change may have been part of why he stepped up, he could just be growing up: his sire Hard Spun got really good this time of year, and Two Phil’s is a Churchill Downs graded-stakes winner on dirt and was also competitive in dirt preps at Fair Grounds.
Derma Sotogake also deserves a long look. Though the trend of UAE Derby runners in the Kentucky Derby does not weigh in his favor, he could be the best of the lot. He has the early speed to get a nice spot on or near the pace in the Kentucky Derby, and that pace should be a lot more reasonable than the absolute collapse last year. And, he runs like a horse who should have no problem with the final half-furlong.
You know the best bets in the Kentucky Derby, and you know the best places to play this race (and races all year long!) online. Now, all you have to do is place your bets!
The best bets for the 2023 Kentucky Derby are:
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