Ky. Derby 2023 odds: Confidence Game builds Vegas steam
Confidence Game earned a bullet for his workout Saturday at Churchill Downs. The breeze could be felt across the country even the day before, especially in Las Vegas.
Before he covered five furlongs in 59.0 seconds for the fastest of 54 such works, Confidence Game plunged from a best price of 40-1 to 22-1 on Saturday morning in the Nevada futures market for Kentucky Derby 2023.
“Yesterday afternoon we took solid action at a few numbers,” said Paul Zilm, the Circa Sports oddsmaker who incrementally took the son of Candy Ride from 40-1 to 12-1. “I can’t speak for the others, but ours was solely based on action.”
Ky. Derby: Yakteen discusses Practical Move, Reincarnate.
The Westgate SuperBook cut Confidence Game from 40-1 to 14-1. Caesars Sportsbook, which carries more liability since it was first to open Derby futures last fall, moved the Keith Desormeaux-trained colt from 30-1 to 22-1.
Training 10 weeks up to the Derby since he won the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn, Confidence Game went from 12th shortest to eighth among the top choices in Derby futures.
Eclipse Award winner Forte at 5-2 and his Todd Pletcher stablemate Tapit Trice at 6-1, actually plus 650, held firm as the top two betting interests. Derma Sotogake, Practical Move and Verifying shared best odds of 12-1 to rank a joint third.
These were the Kentucky Derby 2023 futures Saturday morning at Caesars Sportsbook, Circa Sports and the Westgate SuperBook. They are listed in order of their best odds shown in bold type. Horses on the waiting list are in italics.
| Kentucky Derby 2023 | Caesars | Circa | WG | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forte | 2-1 | 5-2 | 5-2 | Irad Ortiz Jr. |
| Tapit Trice | 6-1 | *6-1 | 6-1 | Luis Sáez |
| Derma Sotogake | 12-1 | 12-1 | 10-1 | Christophe Lemaire |
| Practical Move | 10-1 | 12-1 | 8-1 | Ramón Vázquez |
| Verifying | 12-1 | 12-1 | 12-1 | Tyler Gaffalione |
| Angel of Empire | 10-1 | 13-1 | 10-1 | Flavien Prat |
| Kingsbarns | 15-1 | 12-1 | 14-1 | José Ortiz |
| Confidence Game | 22-1 | 12-1 | 14-1 | James Graham |
| Mage | 24-1 | 20-1 | 20-1 | Javier Castellano |
| Skinner | 25-1 | 25-1 | 25-1 | Juan Hernández |
| Two Phil’s | 22-1 | 21-1 | 25-1 | Jareth Loveberry |
| Hit Show | 35-1 | 30-1 | 30-1 | Manny Franco |
| Disarm | 40-1 | 46-1 | 50-1 | Joel Rosario |
| Raise Cain | 42-1 | 47-1 | 40-1 | |
| Reincarnate | 35-1 | 55-1 | 50-1 | John Velázquez |
| Jace’s Road | 40-1 | 55-1 | 60-1 | Florent Géroux |
| Rocket Can | 45-1 | 60-1 | 60-1 | Júnior Alvarado |
| Cyclone Mischief | 50-1 | 68-1 | 60-1 | |
| Lord Miles | 45-1 | 55-1 | 80-1 | Paco López |
| Continuar | 90-1 | 60-1 | 50-1 | Ryusei Sakai |
| Sun Thunder | 75-1 | 55-1 | 100-1 | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| Major Dude | 50-1 | 125-1 | 60-1 | |
| Mandarin Hero | 85-1 | 125-1 | ||
| King Russell | 135-1 | 250-1 | ||
| *Plus 650. | ||||
| Italics: Waiting list |
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