The 149th Run for the Roses 🌹

05/05/2023 The 149th Run for the Roses 🌹

By: Jeff Yoder

Post Order, Odds & History for the 149th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs

Summer’s arrival means racing season is upon us! And it’s not just cars on a track. The Triple Crown opens Saturday with the most iconic horse race in sports. The 149th Kentucky Derby ascends upon Churchill Downs for the fastest two minutes in sports. As always, the Run for the Roses is billed as a gambler’s paradise — not really our thing — but we’ll oblige. Whether you’re putting money on the ponies or simply enjoying the thrill-fest that ensues at the racetrack, here’s what you need to know.

 

Post Order & 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)

11. Disarm (30-1)

12. Jace’s Road (50-1)

13. Sun Thunder (50-1)

14. Angel of Empire (8-1)

15. Forte (3-1)

16. Raise Cain (50-1)

17. Derma Sotogake (11-1)

18. Rocket Can (30-1)

19. Lord Miles (30-1)

20. Continuar (50-1)

 

Editor’s Note: No. 10 Practical Move Scratched From KY Derby

 

The Favorites

Three horses enter the 149th Run for the Roses head-and-shoulders above the competition. Forte is the consensus favorite at 3-1 with Tapit Trice (5-1) and Angel of Empire (8-1) as secondary favorites. Keep in mind: All three horses opened at 5-1 or 6-1 odds.

 

The History

Secretariat still owns the fastest derby time ever recorded at 1:59.4 seconds. No horse has touched his record in the past half-century. Only four horses since Secretariat (1973) have won the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes & Belmont Stakes).

 

Triple Crown Winners Since 1973

1977: Seattle Slew

1978: Affirmed

2015: American Pharaoh

2018: Justify

 

The Weather

The Kentucky Derby has been run on a wet and muddy track each of the past few years, producing slower times and an unfortunate experience for fans and horses alike. Tomorrow’s weather forecast in Louisville calls for 73 degrees with just a 24 percent chance of rain.

 

Bring out the straw hats and mint juleps. It’s time for the 149th Run for the Roses.

 

Additional Storylines

SI: 50 Years Later, Secretariat’s Triple Crown Run Still Seems Unbeatable

CBS Sports: Why Hats, Flashy Headwear Are Synonymous with the Run for the Roses

B/R: Cyclone Mischief Replaces Practical Move After Scratch in KY Derby

 

Photo: Horsephotos / Getty Images