This Saturday, twenty three-year-old thoroughbred equines step into the gate at Churchill Downs to run for the roses. The annual Kentucky Derby happens on May 6 and is the twelfth race on the Churchill Downs card. Check out everything pay per head agents must know about the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
2023 Kentucky Derby: Everything to Know About the 2023 Run for the Roses
The Kentucky Derby has occurred on the first Saturday in May almost every year since Aristides won the first Run for the Roses in 1975. Churchill Downs has postponed the Derby just twice during its history.
The first postponement happened in 1945 due to World War II, and the second occurred in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following information will help bookie betting agents find the winner and craft winning plays. For price per head agents, the following will help them set up their sportsbook for success.
The Derby takes place at Churchill Downs and over dirt
Churchill Downs is one of the most historic racetracks in the United States. The track rests in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Kentucky Derby happens at Churchill Downs every year, and the Derby has never taken place at any other race track. The race occurs over dirt at 1 1/4 miles.
Also, only three-year-old horses can run in the Derby. Not only that, but only the winner of the Derby can win the Triple Crown because only the Kentucky Derby winner can take the second jewel of the crown, the Preakness Stakes, and the third jewel, the Belmont.
Kentucky Derby winner profiles
Only two Kentucky Derby horses have won without racing at two. Aristides, the first-ever Kentucky Derby winner, and Justify in 2018, are the only runners to break the 2-year-old curse.
Justify was the best three-year-old in the world. So it made sense why Justify broke the curse. We can’t say the same about the runners who didn’t race at 2 in this year’s event: Kingsbarns and Mage.
Online bookie software agents should set max betting limits and payouts on the Kentucky Derby, no matter the horse. Rich Strike won last year’s Derby and paid $163.60 for a $2 win bet.
The field for the 2023 Kentucky Derby and morning lines
- Hit Show +3000 – The Brad Cox trained runner has won 3-of-5 with a second by a nose in the Wood Memorial and a fourth in his second-lifetime race. For sure, this one can surprise.
- Verifying +1500 – Another trained by Brad Cox, Verifying lost by a neck to second choice Tapit Trice in the Grade 1 Blue Grass in the last. Like Hit Show, Verifying has a chance.
- Two Phil’s +1200 – The Grade 3 Jack Ruby Steaks victory was breathtaking. Two Phil’s is another with a chance.
- Confidence Game +2000 – The 20-to-1 shot heads into the Derby after a Rebel Stakes win. But Confidence must improve big time to score the Derby victory.
- Tapit Trice +500 – The Todd Pletcher trained runner has the skills to get it done. One of the few in this that can win the Triple Crown.
- Kingsbarns +1200 – Not only did Kingsbarns not run at 2, but the Pletcher horse is also a front runner. Derma Sotogake should run this one into the ground.
- Reincarnate +5000– The late closer hasn’t displayed the kick that a horse like Angel of Empire has shown. Reincarnate winning the Derby would be a surprise.
- Mage +1500 – The Florida Derby victory was terrific. But the win happened on April 1. Sometimes, a layoff of more than three weeks is a bad thing.
- Skinner +2000 – Skinner bumped at the start and still managed to finish third behind Practical Move and Mandarin Hero in the Santa Anita Derby. The runner is sneaky tough.
- Practical Move +1000 – The Santa Anita Derby win showed guts. But Practical Move shouldn’t have the stamina to get 1 1/4 miles.
- Disarm +3000 – Trainer Steve Asmussen’s three-year-olds usually perform better in the Preakness and later in the year. This could be too much, too soon for Disarm.
- Jace’s Road +5000 – On paper, Jace’s Road isn’t fast enough to win this.
- Sun Thunder +5000– The fourth-place finish in the Bluegrass was okay. Sun Thunder would have to improve a lot to hit the board.
- Angel of Empire +800– Bookmaker software agents have probably already seen money land on the Brad Cox trained Arkansas Derby winner. Angel is a contender.
- Forte +300 – See below for words on the chalk.
- Raise Cain +5000 – Cain doesn’t appear fast enough to hit the board.
- Derma Sotogake +1000 – Like Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice, this one can win the Triple Crown. The UAE Derby winner could be a monster.
- Rocket Can +3000 – A top-four finish is possible. But the race would have to fall apart.
- Lord Miles +3000 – The Wood Memorial winner is rising. However, Lord Miles would have to race much faster than he ever has.
- Continuar +5000– Horses breaking from post-20 don’t often win the Derby. But Continuar has back class, so he should outrun his odds.
Why Florida Derby winner and Kentucky Derby favorite Forte will struggle on May 6
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Champion has the right trainer and right jockey and has won 6-of-7. Also, Forte has won five graded stakes races in a row and appears to be the best horse in the field.
Returning to his trainer, Todd Pletcher is no stranger to the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle. Pletcher will have the horse ready as can be. Jockey Irad Ortiz is riding like the best in the world.
So what’s not to like? Agents offering free bookie software may not have to worry about Forte because the horse appears to have peaked.
Forte’s last work was the ninety-sixth fastest of one-hundred and five. That’s not what you want to see from the chalk heading into the Kentucky Derby.
Tapit Trice, just the second horse from Todd Pletcher’s barn, and Angel of Empire will go off at lower odds than their morning lines
Forte’s work was so bad that Tapit Trice, the second choice, and Angel of Empire, the third choice, could go off at lower odds than the favorite. Both can win the race.
Pletcher trains Tapit Trice. So Todd wouldn’t be too beat up about it if Forte lost. Angel of Empire looks like a horse that can win the Triple Crown.
If sports betting software agents set max limits and payout limits on the 2023 Kentucky Derby, they mustn’t worry about whether Forte, Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, or any horse wins on the first Saturday in May.
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