Welp… better change those bets.
The 2023 Kentucky Derby, the 149th renewal of The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports, will run this afternoon, May 6th, 2023… and it will run without the frontrunner to win.
Kentucky Derby favorite, Forte, has been scratched from Saturday’s race, after it appears it didn’t clear an examination from the state racing commission veterinarian.
Trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole were seen meeting with the vet, jogging Forte following a pre-race workout.
Needless to say, they don’t look happy… AT ALL.
And I’m no body language expert, but it seems like they knew this was coming…
The state vet, Nick Smith, did not reveal the reasoning behind the decision.
As of this morning, Forte was been listed as the 3-1 favorite to win the Derby. Practical Move and Skinner were both scratched earlier this week over elevated temperatures, and Continuar was scratched over not reaching “peak fitness.”
The Kentucky Derby will now run with 18 horses, with Tapit Trice in line to be the new odds favorite.
Here’s a full list of horses and their odds:
Forte SCR
Tapit Trice 5-1
Angel of Empire 8-1
Derma Sotogake 10-1
Practical Move SCR
Kingsbarn 12-1
Two Phil’s 12-1
Mage 15-1
Verifying 15-1
Confidence Game 20-1
Mandarin Hero 20-1
Skinner SCR
Cyclone Mischief 30-1
Disarm 30-1
Hit Show 30-1
Lord Miles SCR
Rocket Can 30-1
Continuar SCR
Jace’s Road 50-1
King Russell 50-1
Raise Cain 50-1
Sun Thunder 50-1
Reincarnate 50-1
The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday at 6:45pm ET.
