Kentucky Derby 2023 post positions: Draw announced, odds for 149th Derby

By May 5, 2023, 6:32 AM EDT
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5-1 Tapit Trice is the favorite heading into the 149th Kentucky Derby and starting in the fifth post while 8-1 Angel of Empire is in post No. 14.

Fountain of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby winner Forte was the initial favorite and was scheduled to break from the No. 15 post but was scratched from the race Saturday morning.

The 2023 Kentucky Derby will air on Saturday, May 6th from 12 to 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage is also available to stream live on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

NBC Sports will also air the Kentucky Oaks the day before on Friday, May 5th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on USA Network, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Related: What to know about the 2023 Kentucky Derby

Below are the post positions for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, including morningline odds and a full list of horses as of May 4.

2023 Kentucky Derby Post Positions, Odds

1. Hit Show (30-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Manny Franco

2. Verifying (15-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

3. Two Phil’s (12-1)
Trainer: Larry Rivelli
Jockey: Jareth Loveberry

4. Confidence Game (20-1)
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: James Graham

5. Tapit Trice (5-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez

6. Kingsbarns (12-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Jose Ortiz

7. Reincarnate (50-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: John Velazquez

8. Mage (15-1)
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Jockey: Javier Castellano

SCR. Skinner (20-1)
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Juan Hernandez

10. Disarm (30-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario

11. Jace’s Road (15-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux

12. Sun Thunder (30-1)
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez

13. Angel of Empire (8-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat

SCR. Forte (3-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

15. Raise Cain (15-1)
Trainer: Ben Colebrook
Jockey: Gerardo Corrales

16. Derma Sotogake (10-1)
Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi
Jockey: Christopher Lemaire

17. Rocket Can (15-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado

18. Cyclone Mischief (30-1)
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

19. Mandarin Hero (20-1)
Trainer: Terunobu Fujita
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura

20. King Russell (50-1)
Trainer: Ron Moquett
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano

SCR. Practical Move (10-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

SCR. Lord Miles (30-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Paco Lopez

SCR. Continuar (50-1)
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai

Read more: Handicapping the Kentucky Derby

How to Watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby

Watch the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6 from 12 to 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Full coverage is also available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT
Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK
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NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT
churchill downs
Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.