2023 Kentucky Derby Prop Bets

The 2023 Kentucky Derby is the 149th edition of the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs. It also marks the first race of the Triple Crown.

The Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes will complete the Triple Crown season following the Derby. Can a horse in the Kentucky Derby field win the Triple Crown?

You can bet on this Kentucky Derby Prop bet and many others at the best horse betting sites. With the 20-horse field officially announced and post positions set, there is a huge Kentucky Derby prop bets board available for bettors of all levels.

Forte continues to be the favorite horse atop the Kentucky Derby odds. He will fire out of the starting gate from the No. 15 post position¹.

How To Bet On Kentucky Derby Prop Bets

To bet on Kentucky Derby prop bets, the first step will be to register at Kentucky Derby betting online sites that offer props. Not every online sportsbook has Kentucky Derby prop odds.

Fortunately, we have everything you need to get started with wagering on Kentucky Derby prop bets. We have a slew of wagers, including our best Kentucky Derby prop bets for the first Saturday of May.

Find the Kentucky Derby section in your online sportsbook, and there should be a wide menu of different props available. For our top recommendation, we advise checking out BetOnline as it has some of the best Kentucky Derby promos.

In addition to endless prop bet options, BetOnline is offering a limited-time welcome bonus for new deposits. Get a 50% deposit bonus of up to $1,000, or a 100% deposit bonus of up to $1,000 if you deposit using cryptocurrency.

Just make sure to share these bonuses with all of your friends at whatever Kentucky Derby party that you attend. For beginners, we invite you to check out our horse racing strategy guide to prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby Prop Bets

The following 2023 Kentucky Derby prop bets are courtesy of BetOnline:

Wet Paint/Forte Both Win

In what is essentially the Oaks/Derby double, bettors are being asked whether Wet Paint and Forte will win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

On Friday, May 5, a day before the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks will feature the best 3-year-old fillies in the world. The Kentucky Oaks is an all-female race, unlike the Derby, which is open to 2-year-old colts and fillies.

Currently, Wet Paint has the best odds to win the Kentucky Oaks at +300. Following Wet Paint, Botanical is the second favorite at +500 odds.

Wet Paint is a Kentucky-bred filly that has been making a mark since October. Overall, she is 4-for-6 and has won three straight events going into the Kentucky Oaks.

In her last four starts, Wet Paint has finished 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st². She continues to get better and could be in peak form for the Oaks.

On April 1, Wet Paint defeated Taxed in the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (Gr. 3) by 2 ½ lengths. Despite being a step slow early, Wet Paint recovered to post her best speed figure of 97³.

Kentucky Oaks favorite WET PAINT (outside) works 5 furlongs in company with THE ALYS LOOK (inside.) Both fillies finished their works in 1:01.0. pic.twitter.com/HovoMGlYu6

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 27, 2023

This came a month after Wet Paint was impressive in her graded debut in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (Gr. 3). Expect Wet Paint to be a tough filly to beat in the Oaks.

Forte is still favored to win the Derby after the post positions were revealed on Monday. He is 6-for-7 and on a heater with five straight wins⁴.

In Forte’s latest effort, he edged away late for a one-length win over Mage in the $1,000,000 Florida Derby. His impressive closing speed was on full display as Forte came back from 5^th place going into the stretch⁵.

At +1200 odds, Wet Paint and Forte to win the Oaks and Derby looks tempting. In our opinion, this value is too hard to pass on.

Best Finishing Position?

We have what should be a good matchup battle between Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire, and Practical Move. From the No. 5 post position, Tapit Trice has the best morning-line odds at 5-1.

Tapit Trice should have some early speed close to the rail out of the gate. However, will Tapit Trice have enough closing power in him to win the Derby at the wire?

He will have some talented horses to deal with in the stretch. One of which could be Angel of Empire, who is 8-1 on the morning-line to win the Kentucky Derby.

Angel of Empire is a sleeper going into the Kentucky Derby. He is likely going to be a featured horse for many handicappers.

Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire galloping on a 35-degree Monday morning at Churchill Downs. #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/2SQoMdLuT9

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) April 24, 2023

The Brad Cox trainee is entering the Kentucky Derby with plenty of confidence. With Flavien Prat aboard, Angel of Empire should have a good chance to come from the outside to the front.

Overall, Angel of Empire is 4-for-6 with back-to-back graded victories. Angel of Empire is coming off back-to-back wins in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (Gr. 2) and $1,250,000 Arkansas Derby (Gr. 1)⁶.

A 4 ¼ length win in the Arkansas Derby has to be a head-turner for Angel of Empire. The $70,000 colt has been getting faster and faster since debuting on August 9, 2022.

Angel of Empire to finish better than Tapit Trice and Practical Move at +175 odds is solid value.

Best Finishing Position?

This is another Kentucky Derby matchup prop bet between three runners. A win is not required, but finishing ahead of the other two horses is the goal for this wager.

Kingsbarns and Derma Sotogake are most likely to get into a battle down the stretch. Both carry decent claims going into Churchill Downs this weekend.

Derma Sotogake is an international participant from Japan. Despite a so-so overall record with 4 wins in 8 attempts, this colt is in top form going into the Derby.

The native of Japan has won four of his previous five starts going into Saturday⁷. In his most recent and the biggest race of his career thus far, Derma Sotogake impressed at Meydan Racecourse.

デルマソトガケ – Derma Sotogake (JPN) is the 2yo 🇯🇵 dirt champion & winner of the 2023 🇦🇪 Derby.#TwinSpires brings you another exclusive from Quarantine 1 barn @ChurchillDowns.

Asst. trainer Masanari Tanaka graciously speaks with @TheBrownAndrew.
Translation by @KeibaKate pic.twitter.com/xtGXHnUuGv

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) April 26, 2023

On March 25, Derma Sotogake won the $2,500,000 UAE Derby easily. Derma Sotogake cleared late for the best performance of his career. He should have enough in the tank to go 1 ¼ miles against this field.

Japan will have two horses in the Kentucky Derby. Continuar joins Derma Sotogake from overseas, as they look to be the first Japanese runners to win the Run for the Roses.

At 10-1 on the morning-line odds, Derma Sotogake stands a better chance according to the Kentucky Derby odds. He might not win, but Derma Sotogake should finish better than Kingsbarns and Verifying.

Best Finishing Position?

In this group, we have longshots to win the Kentucky Derby. Following Rich Strike’s win at 80-1 odds last year, there shouldn’t be any doubts when it comes to the large underdogs.

Reincarnate and Jace’s Road are horses to consider in this spot. Jace’s Road likely has a small advantage over Reincarnate and, at +185 odds, is a runner to look at with this value.

On March 25, at Fair Grounds, he qualified for the Kentucky Derby after showing 3rd in the $1,000,000 Louisiana Derby (Gr. 2). It was well played by Jace’s Road after holding steady in 2nd and 3rd throughout the race⁸.

Unfortunately, Jace’s Road didn’t have enough to top Kingsbarns. However, Brad Cox’s $510,000 colt did enough to earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby.

Reincarnate had a similar Road to the Kentucky Derby route in the Arkansas Derby. He finished 3rd in the prep race at Oaklawn Park.

However, Reincarnate was well back and looked empty late in the stretch. Reincarnate could have some issues completing 1 ¼ miles.

Jace’s Road will not have the closing speed to compete for a win. However, he should be steady enough to beat Reincarnate and Raise Cain.

Gate to Wire Winner

A wire-to-wire win is not an easy accomplishment in the Kentucky Derby. Not in a field of this caliber. In the 149^th Kentucky Derby, we do not have widespread consensus on a winner at Churchill Downs.

In a fairly wide-open race, it should be doubly difficult for a horse to win this in wire-to-wire fashion. The horse that is favored to win, Forte, is a horse that warms up as the race progresses.

“He gave you a scare but he got it done!” said @AnnouncerPete after #11 FORTE ($2.60) gets it done late to win the $1 million Florida Derby (GI). @iradortiz with his sixth win on the card was aboard for Todd Pletcher. @RepoleStable had a perfect 4 for 4 day. Congrats to all! pic.twitter.com/Nh9L2EJfwR

— TVG (@TVG) April 1, 2023

Forte is a closer that is at his best in the stretch run. Drawing the No. 15 post position, do not expect him to speed out of the gate to a lead on the dirt at Churchill Downs.

What we likely see is Irad Ortiz Jr. urging Forte to get past traffic in the final two furlongs. Expect Ortiz Jr. and Todd Pletcher to have a solid game plan to put Forte in the best position to win.

The best position to win for Forte is stalking and kicking free late. In the Florida Derby, he was 5th going into the stretch. Despite the deficit, he still won the event by a length.

The true odds of a gate-to-wire winner is probably in the -500 range. Do not expect a horse to break away from the start in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Todd Pletcher To Win The Kentucky Derby

Bob Baffert is banned for another year at Churchill Downs. However, legendary Todd Pletcher is going to be present. He is bringing an impressive trio of horses with him to Louisville.

Pletcher is going for his fourth Kentucky Derby title with Forte, Tapit Trice, and Kingsbarns. If you like Forte, but not completely sold, this is a wager that offers some decent insurance.

Currently, Tapit Trice has +450 odds to win from the No. 5 post position. According to BetOnline, Tapit Trice has the second-best odds to win the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Todd Pletcher shares his perspective on the post positions of his contenders for the #KyDerby and Oaks: pic.twitter.com/kW2qiEuyI2

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 1, 2023

Overall, Tapit Trice is 4-for-5 and won four straight events. He is on the heels of back-to-back wins in the $400,000 South Tampa Bay Derby (Gr. 3) and $1,000,000 Blue Grass Stakes (Gr. 1)⁹.

Kingsbarns is perfect in his career after debuting on January 14. The $800,000 colt was in good form in his first graded event on March 25. Kingsbarns won the $1,000,000 Louisiana Derby (Gr. 2) by 3 ½ lengths¹⁰.

Pletcher has a stellar stable at Churchill Downs for the Derby in 2023. At plus money, he is worth considering to win the 149^th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby Winning Time

Known as the ‘Fastest Two Minutes in Sports’, the Kentucky Derby has that moniker for a reason. With a sloppy track possible on Saturday, it might take more than two minutes to complete.

The weather forecast calls for a 50% chance of rain in the morning. There could be a downpour, sprinkles, or end up being no rain. Fortunately, things are supposed to clear up in the afternoon.

However, a downpour earlier in the day might be enough for a slow track. At any rate, traffic in the stretch should prevent this from being an exceptionally fast Derby.

As we noted, it is unlikely that a horse will take off and shake free going into the stretch. Fighting through traffic to get to the front is probable.

For comparison, Rich Strike won the Derby in 2:02.61 last year. Expect a quicker number, but not faster than 2:01.30.