Kentucky Derby 2023 Contenders: Favorites and Lineup Odds After Post Positions Draw

It's finally the first Monday in May, and with that all eyes in the horse racing world will turn to Churchill Downs, where the first jewel of the Triple Crown will be on the line at the 149th Kentucky Derby.

Monday's post position draw was crucial to this year's running of the Kentucky Derby as the betting lines have shifted based on where certain horses will start, notably gate No. 1 and the furthest outside gates.

Where horses start in the Derby can either give them an advantage or put them at a significant disadvantage before the race even starts.

Gate No. 10 has been one of the best in Kentucky Derby history in terms of producing champions and winning bets. The position has seen nine champions and 24 horses in the money.

However, gate No. 5 has seen the most winners in the history of the Kentucky Derby with 10. It is also the only gate in the history of the race to produce double-digit winners, the most recent being Always Dreaming in 2017.

Gate No. 17 has historically been the worst position at the Kentucky Derby, as it has yet to produce a champion and has only seen three horses finish in the money.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's Forte began the week as the early favorite to claim the Kentucky Derby title with 5-2 odds, and the updated odds following Monday's post position draw are still in the dark bay colt's favor at 3-1

Tapit Trice, also trained by Pletcher, held 6-1 odds to win this year's race, but Monday's positions draw saw the gray colt's odds move to 5-1.

The 20 horses in this year's running of the Kentucky Derby will be competing for a purse of $3 million, with the winning horse receiving $1.86 million.

The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby will be available to watch on NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app beginning at noon ET on Saturday.

Before the race begins, let's take a look at the results of Monday's position draw for the 20 contenders, how the odds have shifted as a result and the favorites for the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

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Kentucky Derby Post Positions and Odds

1. Hit Show: 30-1
2. Verifying: 15-1
3. Two Phil's: 12-1
4. Confidence Game: 20-1
5. Tapit Trice: 5-1
6. Kingsbarns: 12-1
7. Reincarnate: 50-1
8. Mage: 15-1
9. Skinner: 20-1
10. Practical Move: 10-1
11. Disarm: 30-1
12. Jace's Road: 15-1
13. Sun Thunder: 30-1
14. Angel of Empire: 8-1
15. Forte: 3-1
16. Raise Cain: 15-1
17. Derma Sotogake: 10-1
18. Rocket Can: 15-1
19. Lord Miles: 30-1
20. Continuar: 50-1

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Kentucky Derby Favorites

Forte

Forte's jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey four of the last five years. While Ortiz is a two-time winner of the Belmont Stakes, he's still seeking his first victory in the Kentucky Derby.

The 149th running of the race may be his best chance to capture the highly coveted title at Churchill Downs, as Forte has two first-place finishes in two races in 2023 and six first-place finishes in seven races overall.

Forte's most recent victory was in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on April 1.

Additionally, the dark bay colt's $2.4 million in career earnings is the most among all horses in the Kentucky Derby field.

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Angel of Empire

The Brad H. Cox-trained Angel of Empire has put together an impressive 2023 thus far with two first-place finishes and a second-place finish in three races.

In six career starts, Angel of Empire has four first-place finishes and one second-place finish. The only time the bay colt did not finish within the top three came at Kentucky Downs in September, when it finished sixth.

Angel of Empire is also coming off an impressive victory in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 1, blowing away the field to capture the prize and become one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.

Angel of Empire is jockeyed by Flavien Prat, who won the 2019 Kentucky Derby and the 2021 Preakness Stakes.

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Tapit Trice

Tapit Trice is another Pletcher-trained horse who could be in line to capture the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Jockeyed by Luis Saez, Tapit Trice is coming off four consecutive first-place finishes, the most recent coming in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky.

The only non-first-place finish the gray colt has seen in five career starts came in the Maiden Special Weight at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, New York, in October.

Saez has also put together an impressive career as a jockey, winning the Breeders Cup in 2020, the Belmont Stakes in 2021, the Saudi Cup in 2021 and the 2022 Kentucky Oaks.