2023 Kentucky Derby: Who will run for this year's race?

The Kentucky Derby is already making headlines in the horse racing world as one of the most significant events this year.

The Kentucky Derby is already making headlines in the horse racing world as one of the most significant events this year. This event will take place on May 9, 2023, and in just a few months, a new set of horses will attempt to run the road toward the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.

As such, many fans are also on standby in trying to wait for the 14th Triple Crown winner after Justify in 2018. If you're one of the many fans, here's a list of colts you can look forward to this May.

Forte

First on the list is the champion of several huge horse racing events, Forte. He's a three-year-old thoroughbred colt who has already had six starts since the beginning of his career, including the Breeders' Futurity at Kneeland, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and the Grade I Hopeful Stakes.

In 2023, he had a first start, the Fountain of Youth (G2), where he also won the race to continue his impressive career. Forte will also take his chance at this year's Kentucky Derby. His current highest E speed figure is 106. With the right betting strategy for Kentucky Derby, wagering on Forte seems to hold a bright future for the bettors.

Practical Move

Practical Move is a three-year-old colt that started running competitively in 2022. A few of the events he participated in were the 2022 Bob Hope, 2022 Los Alamitos Futurity, and 2023 San Felipe. Out of all his six starts, he has finished as first in three, including his recent win at San Anita Park, once in second place and thrice in third place.

With a good start this year, fans can look forward to more from Practical Move, especially with his 108-highest record E speed figure in 2023, which is also a significant improvement from last year's 98-highest.

Cave Rock

Cave Rock is also one of the horses participating in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. However, as of the second week of March, there are still no reports that this three-year-old colt has participated in the first quarter of 2023. Throughout his career, he's participated in four starts, placing first in three and once in second place. His stakes runs include the 2022 American Pharaoh and Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

With 111 as his highest recorded E-speed figure, Cave Rock easily becomes the fastest horse in this list. So, as long as Cave Rock continues his good record and excellent running skills, he has a good chance to win this year's Kentucky Derby and has the chance to win the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

Giant Mischief

Giant Mischief also confirmed his participation in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. His first run in 2023 in 2023 Rebel Stake (G2) at Oaklawn Park was unfortunate, where he only placed 6th.

Nonetheless, out of all his four races since 2022, Giant Mischief has won twice, including AlwOC at Keeneland, and second place once in 2022 Remington Springboard Miles (LS). Additionally, his highest recorded E-speed figure was 105 in 2022.

Confidence Game

In this list, Confidence Game has the highest number of runs so far, with his seven starts from 2022, which includes the 2023 Rebel Stakes (G2) and the 2023 Lecomte (G3). One of his recent ones is the 2023 Rebel Stakes (G2), where he won, followed by Red Route One. Unfortunately, he's only in third place for the 2023 Lecomte (G3).

Nonetheless, he made a good record of three wins, once in second place and thrice in third place. Additionally, he was sired out of the mare Eblouissante and Bernardini by Candy Ride. Also, Confidence Game's highest E speed figure is 104, which is relatively good compared to the other horses.

Angel of Empire

This three-year-old thoroughbred colt has participated in five games, with two already this year, which he has also won both times. The most recent one was the 2023 Risen Star (G2) on February 18, 2023, where he finished first, followed by Sun Thunder with a significant gap between the two horses.

Also, he won in the game before that and the second finisher, the 2023 Smarty Jones (LS). Angel of Empire has a record of three wins as the first finisher and once as a second placer. With also a 96 E speed figure, Angel of Empire has positive feedback from the horse racing events. Many look forward to how he will dominate the field this May 6.

Hit Show

Another horse that fans look forward to for the 2023 Kentucky Derby is Hit Show. He has only participated in one stakes race so far, which he has also won that made a good impression among horse racing fans. The show was 2023 Withers (G3), which took place just last February 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Hit Show easily dominated the field, which caught the attention of several bettors.

This year, racing fans are also looking forward to how Hit Show will perform after such a good performance in the Withers (G3). His highest record E speed figure is also 93.

Final Thoughts

Several horses already took their chance for the Breeders' Cup, who are also similarly strong competitors, which intensifies this year's level of competitiveness.

If you're one of the fans waiting for the Kentucky Derby, this year is surely one of the events you should never miss. So, as you study each player mentioned above, it's best to start preparing your bets just in case you plan to participate.