While having the favorite in the 2023 Kentucky Derby field is one avenue to winning the Run for the Roses, having multiple horses is another. Trainer Brad Cox is playing the numbers, with four of his horses nominated for the Kentucky Derby 2023 on Saturday, May 6. Angel of Empire (29-1) has the shortest 2023 Kentucky Derby odds among Cox’s quartet, while his other horses are Hit Show (30-1), Verifying (50-1) and Jace’s Road (99-1).
Cox, statistically, has a 20% chance of winning since 20 Kentucky Derby horses will enter the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Still, the Kentucky Derby odds 2023 have Forte as the 5-2 betting favorite, with stablemates Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns both 11-1. With so much to consider while making your 2023 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
The Kentucky Derby is also known by nicknames like the Run for the Roses and the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. The latter is despite nearly all of the previous 148 Derby races lasting longer than two minutes. Just three winners have finished in two minutes or less, including record-holder Secretariat (1973) at 1:59.4. Monarchos (2001) came the closest to that time at 1:59.97, while Northern Dancer (1964) finished in exactly two minutes. At the opposite end of the speed spectrum is 1908 winner Stone Street. With muddy track conditions, he won at 2:15.2, the slowest time since the Kentucky Derby was shortened to 1 1/4 miles in 1896.
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 fives 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 (5-2), he plans to hold tickets with Practical Move (14-1) 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.
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
