Churchill Downs is hallowed ground in American horse racing and the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown will take place on Saturday with the 2023 Kentucky Derby. This will be the 149th Run for the Roses and weather often plays a factor in the outcome of the Run for the Roses. Country House in 2019 was the last horse to win on a sloppy track, while Always Dreaming was the last to win on a wet fast (sealed) track in 2017. The 2023 Kentucky Derby weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with no rain expected at post time. Forte (3-1), who was the 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite, scratched on Saturday morning. Now, Tapit Trice is the 5-1 favorite in the 2023 Kentucky Derby odds. 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.
One of the numbers bettors might consider when picking out their favorites ahead of the Kentucky Derby is career winnings. Only 56 Kentucky Derby horses have come in with more than $1 million in earnings under their saddle, the two most recent of which came last year, with Epicenter and Tiz the Bomb. Tapit Trice comes into this year’s race with just over $800,000 in earnings, but holds the second-best odds to win. He could more than double that figure in one race, as the Kentucky Derby winner has netted $1.86 million every year, starting in 2019.
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.Â
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 favored status of Angel of Empire (8-1), 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.Â
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.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
2023 Kentucky Derby odds, futures
