Kentucky Derby Post Draw 2023: Contenders, Dark Horses with Best Odds
Forte has already won the two-year-old championship, and the Todd Pletcher-trained horse will look to add the first leg of the Triple Crown to his resume in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Forte has been installed as the favorite. He'll break from the 15th post coming off a win in the Florida Derby and sporting a 6-1 record in his seven career starts.
But life as a favorite isn't always easy at Churchill Downs. With a 20-horse field looking to claim the Roses, there's a lot that can happen in the fastest two minutes in sports.
The field has quite a few intriguing contenders from the betting second choice in Tapit Trice to dark-horse contenders like Practical Move and Skinner.
Here's a look at the odds after the post draw and a closer look at some contenders with good odds and some longer shots worth considering.
Post Positions and Odds
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The results of the post draw that was held Monday:
Contenders: Forte (3-1) and Tapit Trice (5-1)
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Forte is the favorite as one of just three horses with single-digit odds. Once wagers start coming in, it shouldn't be surprising to see Forte's odds become even shorter. He has the best resume and appears to be in top form.
What's especially encouraging for the Todd Pletcher trainee is his performance in the Florida Derby. The prep race has produced five winners since 2006, including Barbaro, Orb, Nyquist and Always Dreaming in addition to Maximum Security, who crossed the line first before getting disqualified.
Forte won the April 1 race over fellow Derby entrant Mage and has won three Grade 1 stakes races. That's a nice resume going into Louisville.
Tapit Trice is the second choice by betting odds but doesn't have the same track record. The son of Tapit earned just one Grade 1 Stakes win at the Blue Grass Stakes over a field that included Verifying, Sun Thunder and Raise Cain. He'll see all of them again at Churchill Downs.
Tapit Trice has good bloodlines for the race, though. Joe Nevills of the Paulick Report put together rankings based on the average results of the sires and dams for the horses in the Derby.
The colt tied with Disarm for the best score, mostly based on his sire being Tapit. He was a ninth-place finisher at the Derby in 2004 but won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes the same year.
He's bred for the distance of 1¼-mile track.
Dark Horses: Practical Move (10-1) and Skinner (20-1)
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If you're looking to target some options with double-digit odds, there's a lot to like about Practical Move and Skinner.
Practical Move is second in the standings when it comes to the Derby prep races. His standing is buoyed by the fact that he won his only two starts as a three-year-old. First, came the victory in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes where he posted a 108 Equibase speed figure.
Then came a win at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby with a speed figure of 105.
The bottom line is that the California-bred colt has the tactical speed to close out the race on a strong note and at least wind up on the board, if not pulling off an upset.
Skinner has much longer odds at 20-1, and his resume is not a selling point. He finished third in the Santa Anita Derby and has just one win.
Betting on Skinner is a wager that a change in jockey and his bloodline is going to lead to a breakout performance under the Twin Spires. The John Shirreffs charge will change from jockey Victor Espinoza to Juan Hernandez and ranks fifth in Nevills' rankings as the son of Curlin.
He was a Breeders' Cup Classic and Preakness winner in 2007. If Hernandez can unlock some hidden potential, Skinner could be a factor down the stretch.
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