How to bet the 2023 Hawthorne Derby

A compact field of six sophomores will travel nine furlongs on the lawn in Sunday’s $100,000 Hawthorne Derby. The race appears to come down to a trio of contenders in the cast, and each of my wagers will revolve around the three potential standouts.

The Mike Maker-trained #1 Really Good has been facing much better overall compared to his competition in this event and I will tab the colt for success in this spot. By Hard Spun, the dark bay colt was unplaced in a deep allowance test at Keeneland in his seasonal debut, and he tired in the lane when fifth in a dirt tilt at Churchill Downs last time out, but I expect a major move forward on Sunday.

The $125,000 purchase flashed a lot of potential as a juvenile when winning at first asking at Saratoga, which preceded a pair of stakes placings in the Bluegrass State. He possesses a fine turn of foot and will be saving ground every step of the way on this occasion with Chris Emigh taking the reins for the first time.

Larry Rivelli’s #5 Act A Fool is the clear pace of the race and will have to be caught under Alexis Centeno. The $100,000 son of Oscar Performance showed nothing on debut at Turfway Park but has ripped off a trio of dominant wins in succession since, all on the local main oval. He has a turf-winning sibling and is also bred to love the green, so I envision that the colt will be just fine with the surface switch in this offering. This Kentucky-bred sophomore could run unopposed throughout.

Recent maiden romper #6 Out of Deductions moves to the barn of Chris Block following a facile, 11-length waltz on this course while making his second career appearance. The Kentucky-bred son of Nyquist pounced on a fast pace and strolled home in his latest showing, and he has obvious appeal coming off of such a controlling victory most recently. The gelding is the only contender with a victory on this sod, and he has to be included with Abel Lezcano in the controls.

Hawthorne Derby Wagers

• $15 exacta 1 with 5,6 ($30)
• $3 trifecta box 1,5,6 ($18)