2023 Kentucky Derby Picks: Celebrity Predictions, Winning Experts Give Selections

(Photo by Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)

May 6th, 2023

Kentucky Derby 149 has held many shifts in opinions and handicapping for how to structure bets due to the field changes. Horses being added as other horses scratch, so who should you bet?

Who should I bet with Forte and other horses scratching in Kentucky Derby 149?

How to bet the All Three-Year-Old Pick 3 on Kentucky Derby Day

There's more than one way to wager on the Kentucky Derby (G1), and on Saturday, May 6, Churchill Downs will offer a special All Three-Year-Old Pick 3 covering the Pat Day Mile (G2) in Race 8, the American Turf (G2) in Race 9, and the Kentucky Derby (G1) in Race 12.

$3 All 3YO Pick 3: 6,9 with 1 with 2,3,5,15 ($24)

Read the full analysis by Ashley Anderson here.

Kentucky Derby 149 Picks for Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby Picks

#14 Angel of Empire
#11 Disarm
#5 Tapit Trice

Kentucky Derby Wagers

$40 win and place: #14 Angel of Empire ($80)
$10 exacta: 11, 14 with 5, 9, 11, 14, 15 ($80)
50-cent trifecta: 11, 14 with 5, 9, 11, 14, 15 with all ($72)

Read the full Tipsheet by John Mucciolo here.

How to bet the Kentucky Derby 149 on a budget

$20 budget

Betting exactas in the Kentucky Derby is a budget-friendly strategy, but one with the potential to produce solid returns. When 15-1 shot I’ll Have Another beat 21-5 favorite Bodemeister in 2012, the $1 exacta returned $153.30.

$15 to win on #17 Derma Sotogake
$5 Exacta: 17 with 14

$60 budget

Trifecta tickets are more expensive to play, but they significantly increase the potential for big payoffs. In 2012, 12-1 shot Dullahan rounded out the trifecta behind I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister, a reasonably logical outcome that nevertheless paid $1,532.80 for every $1 ticket.

$24 to win on #17 Derma Sotogake
$1.50 Trifecta: 17 with 14 with 3,5,6,7,22,23 ($9)
$1.50 Trifecta: 17 with 3,5,6,7,22,23 with 14 ($9)
$1 Trifecta: 17 with 14 with 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13 ($9)
$1 Trifecta: 17 with 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13 with 14 ($9)

$100 budget

Hitting a Kentucky Derby superfecta is one of the hardest betting challenges in racing. The minimum wager amount is $1, so ticket costs increase sharply with each additional horse you play. But the rewards can be massive, since it’s common for unheralded longshots to crash the Kentucky Derby top four. When 30-1 outsider Went the Day Well completed the superfecta in the 2012 Kentucky Derby, the $1 payoff was $48,046.40.

$28 to win on #17 Derma Sotogake
$1 Superfecta: 17 with 14 with 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13 with 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13 ($72)

Read the full analysis by Keeler Johnson here.

Did you know that @RapSheet is a partner in Kentucky Derby contender Jace's Road? 🌹 @TheBrownAndrew caught up with him about his first Derby as an owner! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hTqEDAjVKS
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023

@Steve_Byk has his top picks for the Kentucky Derby! 🌹👇 pic.twitter.com/JNUzdEOelP
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023

You have to be in it to win it... 🌹 @TheBrownAndrew talks to West Point Thoroughbred's CEO @TerryFinley11, who has Jace's Road in today's Kentucky Derby! 🎤 pic.twitter.com/xqma4LmeZ7
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023

Angel of Empire is the co-favorite at 9/2 in today's Kentucky Derby since the defection of Forte. 🏇

Hear why he is @James_Scully111's top pick, plus who else James likes in the big race! 🌹 #KentuckyDerby149 pic.twitter.com/xHnlIL76or
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023

With the scratch of morning line favorite Forte, who do you think will win the Run for the Roses? 🌹 @AshleyAnd502 has her selections! 🎤 pic.twitter.com/whxTmcrPiq
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023

It's @DRFMcGee's last Kentucky Derby with DRF before a career shift, so of course we had to see who he liked in #KentuckyDerby149! 🎤 pic.twitter.com/vG0rF1YWfB
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 6, 2023