Kentucky Derby Odds 2023: Track Favorites to Win at Churchill Downs

• Track the average odds to win the Kentucky Derby for the most talked-about horses competing at this year’s Derby
• Mage won the Kentucky Derby, with Two Phils (2nd) and Angel of Empire (3rd)
• View which trainers and jockeys have had the most success at Churchill Downs

The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled to take place at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, May 6, 2023. We’re tracking the current Kentucky Derby odds for every fleet-footed thoroughbred since they became available. The main graph on this page has been generated by calculating the average from many of the most trusted horse racing sites.

2023 Kentucky Derby Odds

TapitTrice ans Angel Of Empire are favored at +450 after race favorite Forte scratched. Kentucky Derby odds as of May 5 at TwinSpires.

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Kentucky Derby 2023 Favorites to Win

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• [5/6/23] Big news on the morning of the Kentucky Derby as race favorite Forte became the fifth scratch from the Derby. That leaves Tapit Trice and Angel Of Empire as the co-favorites
• [5/5/23] On Friday morning, the Derby suffered another scratch with Skinner withdrawing from a high temperature. There are no more horses on standby, therefore this year the Derby will be run with only 19 horses
• [5/4/23] Late Thursday, a third horse, Continuar, was scratched, thus opening the door for King Russell to join the mix at +5500 odds
• [5/4/23] A second horse has been scratched on Thursday, with Lord Miles getting scratched and Mandarin Hero taking his spot at 61-1 odds
• [5/4/23] Practical Move has been scratched, with Cyclone Mischief coming in as the replacement at 65-1 odds
• [5/2/23] Odds have remained consistent for the top Kentucky Derby contenders with Forte (+300), Tapit Trice (+500) and Angel Of Empire (+800) as the top three favorites. Meanwhile, Two Hpil’s has shoetened from +2000 last month to +1200 today.
• [4/19/23] With all the major prep races complete, the top three Derby favorites are currently Forte (+250), Tapit Trice (+600) and Angel of Empire (+800).
• [4/4/23] With only a few major qualifying points races left, it’s still Forte leading the odds at +200, followed by Tapit Trice and Practical Move at +1000
• [3/6/23] After winning his past four graded-stakes races, Forte has vaulted into the favorites roles at the Kentucky Derby at +350 odds
• [2/14/23] We’re mid-February and with a few Kentucky Derby prep races in the books, it’s Arabian Knight (+600), Forte (+900) and Cave Rock (+1200) as the leading Kentucky Derby favorites
• [12/29/22] With 2023 prep races about to get underway, Arabian Knight, Forte and Cave Rock are the early Kentucky Derby favorites

Forte

Listed as the favorite amongst the pack of Kentucky Derby horses, Forte is a 5-1 favorite heading into the Run for the Roses. An American Thoroughbred sporting a dark bay/brown coat, the three-year old Colt has captured wins at the Grade I Hopeful Stakes, Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and the Florida Derby heading into the 149^th Kentucky Derby.

Bettors looking for a safe bet will be drawn to Forte’s strong performances at recent evets. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is familiar with Forte after riding him to each victory, giving this duo strong chances heading into this year’s race. If Forte secures the big win at Churchill Downs, he could be a real threat to pull off the Triple Crown this year.

Tapit Trice

Another Colt with strong performances heading into the Derby is Tapit Trice. Listed at 6-1 odds, the gray/roan Thoroughbred has victories at the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes and Grade III Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs heading into the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Breaking the starting gate from the 5^th post position with Jockey Luis Saez, Tapit Trice will have no shortage of betting action in the 149^th Run for the Roses.

Angel of Empire

One of the strongest pedigrees in the Kentucky Derby field this year belongs to Angel of Empire, who’s Grandsire is 2009 Kentucky Derby runner up Pioneerof the Nile. Having already earned over $1 million in career winnings after taking first place at the Grade I Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park and Grade II Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds, Angel of Empire is sitting at 6-1 odds.

Landing in the 12-spot following the post position draw, Angel of Empire is looking like a strong contender thanks to the work of trainer Brad Cox. This bay Colt will be jockeyed by 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Flavien Prat.

Derma Sotogake

With most of the 19 horses in the Kentucky Derby field being American bred, Derma Sotogake is one of two Japanese horses in this year’s run. Listed at 7-1 odds heading into the Derby weekend, this chestnut Colt trained by Hidetaka Otonashi could be a good pick to upset the hometown crowd.

Derma Sotogake will run with Christophe Lemaire as his Jockey, a team that has become increasingly favored by oddsmakers as we approach the 149^th Kentucky Derby.

Two Phil’s

Having claimed a first-place finish at Churchill Downs through the Street Sense Stakes last October, the experienced Two Phil’s could be a sneaky good contender for this year’s Kentucky Derby. This chestnut Colt listed at 7-1 odds is starting from the 3^rd gate, which could prove to be lucky for Kentucky Derby betting hopefuls.

Jockeyed by newcomer Jareth Loveberry, this duo will be looking to make their mark on the 149^th Run for the Roses despite not coming in with the strongest morning line odds.

"I'm obsessed in winning in anything I do and the Kentucky Derby just happens to be a piece of it."

Mike Repole (Owner of #KyDerby favorite, Forte) highlights his path to Churchill Downs.

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— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 4, 2023

Kentucky Derby Past Winners: Recent 12 to Know About

The 2022 Kentucky Derby was one for the ages as 80-1 longshot Rich Strike took home the title. Rich Strike was not even scheduled to race until a scratch and was a late addition. He started the race poorly as well, way out of the lead, not making his push til late on. Listen to the click below and you won’t even hear Rich Strike mentioned during the final furlong until he crosses the finish line in dramatic fashion.

Rich Strike’s winning time of 2:02.61 was slower than the previous two year’s winners but was still the third-fastest time in the last five years.

Most Successful Kentucky Derby Trainers

Baffert was suspended in 2022 and therefore could not add to his wins last year. In 2022, it was Eric Reed who claimed his first Derby win as a trainer with Rich Strike.

Jockeys with the Most Kentucky Derby Wins

Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack each lead the way for all-time jockey wins with five each.

Following them is Bill Shoemaker who was four wins, last winning in 1986 with Ferdinand.

John Velazquez is right up there in the conversation for best all-time as well. For a moment he too had four wins, however, lost one when Medina Spirit was disqualified in 2021. Instead, Florent Geroux, riding Mandaloun claimed his first jockey win at the Kentucky Derby.

It was another first-time winner in 2022 with Sonny Leon riding Rich Strike to the win, also claiming his first win as a jockey.

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How to Place Bets on Kentucky Derby?

There are many ways to bet on the Kentucky Derby. From picking a winner to picking the top two or three to a whole host of exotic bets. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular.

Futures Wagers

Futures wagers in horse racing can be done much like futures bets in any other sport. Get the best odds to win the Kentucky Derby by using your sportsbook of choice to place your bet. You can bet on the Kentucky Derby all throughout the year leading up to the race in May. Odds will fluctuate greatly throughout the year as horses begin to gain Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Win, Place, Show

There are three main types of bets you can make in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. When you look at who is supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, you’ll probably land on a few of the top contenders. But it may be hard to pick who finishes the race in first place.

Therefore, you have some choices. You can bet on a horse to win (first place), to place (come first or second) or to show (come first, second or third).

You will obviously get better odds for just picking the outright winner. You’ll get shorter odds for making a place or show bet, but you’ll also have a greater chance of winning.

Exacta Bet

When placing an Exacta bet, you are not only betting on who will come first, but also who will come second. You’ll usually get some great long odds on predicting this outcome because you need two outcomes to be correct. You will need your horses to come in the exact order you choose in first and second to win. You can also bet an Exacta Box, for shorter odds, but for your two horses to come in any order in the top two.

Trifecta Bet

The Trifecta bet is much like the Exacta, however, you are instead picking which horses will come in first, second and third and in that exact order. You’ll get great odds for making this prediction correctly as it’s extremely hard to do. Similarily to the Exacta Box, you can bet a Trifecta Box, where your three horses can come in any order in the top three for shorter odds.

Archived Kentucky Derby Odds: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019