Our 2023 Kentucky Derby trifecta picks are in! Review our recommendations for a successful 5 horse trifecta part wheel bet. Hitting a straight trifecta is extremely difficult. It’s better to wheel multiple horses into your trifecta bet. It’s a smart way to win more money with less risk.
Last year, Epicenter was the +400 likely favorite. Taibi and Messier were tied for second at +650. Will this year’s favorite Forte hold on for the win, or will a longshot upset the entire field?
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2023 Kentucky Derby Trifecta Picks
Here are my picks for a winning Kentucky Derby trifecta part wheel bet. Enter the following horses in each trifecta key. Then, cash an easy winning ticket at the Derby.
2023 Kentucky Derby Trifecta Part Wheel Keys
- 1: Tapit Trice, Kingsbarns, Forte
- 2: Tapit Trice, Kingsbarns, Angel of Empire
- 3: Tapit Trice, Forte, Angel of Empire, Derma Sotogake
Total Cost: $18, $1 per combination
Pre-Derby Updates
Update 05/05/2023 – Major contenders scratch:
- Practical Move scratches with a temperature; Lord Miles and Continuar also scratch Thursday May, 4, 2023
- Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero and King Russell draw into the field as also-eligible horses, replacing scratches
- Skinner scratches Friday, bringing field to 19
Update 04/28/2023 – Consider this year’s Kentucky Derby long-shots:
- Kingsbarns – Probable, Trainer: Todd Pletcher
- Verifying – Probable, Trainer: Brad Cox
- Confidence Game – Probable, Trainer: J. Desormeaux
Update 04/21/2023 – Derma Sotogake, Angel of Empire, round out the top 5 Kentucky Derby contenders by futures odds, following Forte, Tapit Trice, and Practical Move respectively.
Derma Sotogake, a Japanese horse, recently won the UAE Meydan Derby on March 25, 2023. He previously won the Zennippon Nisai Yushun at the Kawasaki racetrack in Japan on December 14, 2022.
Angel of Empire previously won the G1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on 4/1/2023, coming off a victory at the G2 Risen Star Stakes on February 18, 2023 at Fair Grounds racetrack.
Update 04/14/2023 – Forte, Tapit Trice, and Practical Move top the 2023 Kentucky Derby futures odds. Forte won this year’s G1 Florida Derby on 4/1/2023 and the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on 3/4/2023. Previously, he won the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on 11/04/2022.
Ways to bet Trifectas
There are 3 ways to bet trifectas. The most common is the straight trifecta. It’s also the most difficult to reliably win. Trifecta Boxes and Wheels are solid alternatives. You can add more than 3 horses to your trifecta bet. This increases the likelihood of winning with a higher investment upfront.
The following video explains how to place a wheel bet. The procedure is the same for exactas and superfectas. Watch the entire video for help with other bets!
- Straight Trifecta Bet – Pick 3 horses to finish in the top 3 positions. Final order matters.
- Trifecta Box Bet – Pick any number of horses to finish in the top 3 positions. Final order does not matter.
- Trifecta Part Wheel Bet – Select horses to key into each position: first, second and third. Final order does matter depending on how you key each horse.
Efficiency Matters
Trifecta Boxes are more likely to win because final order does not matter. But a box is less efficient than a wheel because you end up buying more combinations than you need.
Trifecta Part Wheels are harder to win because you must select and key horses correctly. However a part wheel is more efficient than a box. You will invest less bankroll to potentially win more money.
Kentucky Derby Trifecta Betting Advice
I recommend a 5 horse Trifecta Part Wheel, keying 3 horses in the first and second position, then 4 horses in the third. Why?
A 5 horse Trifecta Box costs $60, $1 per combination. But a 5 horse Trifecta Part Wheel using my recommendations is only $18, $1 per combination. That means our 4th horse must finish second or third. I add a less-likely 5th horse to finish third, just to cover the bases.
You’ll be making a more efficient bet with higher profit potential. And you’ll be way ahead of the novices betting it all on one horse! Picking 5 horses to finish first, second or third shouldn’t be hard. Plus you get bonus horse for the third key.
|
Horse |  TwinSpires |
|---|---|
| Fierceness | 3/1 Bet |
| Sierra Leone | 3/1 Bet |
| Forever Young | 8/1 Bet |
| Catching Freedom | 12/1 Bet |
| Stronghold | 14/1 Bet |
| Dornoch | 16/1 Bet |
| Just A Touch | 16/1 Bet |
| Endlessly | 20/1 Bet |
| Honor Marie | 20/1 Bet |
| Resilience | 20/1 Bet |
| Deterministic | 25/1 Bet |
| Domestic Product | 25/1 Bet |
| Encino | 25/1 Bet |
| Just Steel | 25/1 Bet |
| Mystik Dan | 25/1 Bet |
| Track Phantom | 25/1 Bet |
| Epic Ride | 30/1 Bet |
| No More Time | 30/1 Bet |
| Seize The Grey | 30/1 Bet |
| Hades | 40/1 Bet |
| Catalytic | 50/1 Bet |
| Common Defense | 50/1 Bet |
| Uncle Heavy | 50/1 Bet |
| West Saratoga | 50/1 Bet |
| Grand Mo The First | 65/1 Bet |
Recent US Graded Stakes Won by Kentucky Derby Entrants
| Horse | Races |
|---|---|
| Fierceness | Breeders' Cup Juvenile (2023 G1), Curlin Florida Derby (2024 G1) |
| Sierra Leone | Risen Star Stakes (2024 G2), Blue Grass Stakes (2024 G1) |
| Catching Freedom | Louisiana Derby (2024 G2) |
| Stronghold | Santa Anita Derby (2024 G1), Sunland Park Derby (2024 G3) |
| Dornoch | Remsen Stakes (2023 G2), Fountain Of Youth Stakes (2024 G2) |
| Endlessly | Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (2023 G3), Zuma Beach Stakes (2023 G3), Jeff Ruby Steaks Stakes (2024 G3), El Camino Real Derby (2024 GL) |
| Honor Marie | Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (2023 G2) |
| Resilience | Wood Memorial Stakes (2024 G2) |
| Deterministic | Gotham Stakes (2024 G3) |
| Domestic Product | Tampa Bay Derby (2024 G3) |
| Encino | John Battaglia Memorial Stakes (2024 GL), Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (2024 G3) |
| Mystik Dan | Southwest Stakes (2024 G3) |
| Track Phantom | Lecomte Stakes (2024 G3) |
| No More Time | Sam F. Davis Stakes (2024 G3) |
| Hades | Holy Bull Stakes (2024 G3) |
| Uncle Heavy | Withers Stakes (2024 G3) |
| West Saratoga | Iroquois Stakes (2023 G3) |
How to Key Horses in a Trifecta Part Wheel
Review the trifecta wheel clip from our “How to Bet on Horses” video tutorial. I’ll discuss this wager and each horse below.
Let’s assemble our Trifecta Part Wheel keys from the table above. As of writing, Forte sits atop the race futures, though we actually think Tapit Trice is the horse with the most potential. Tapit Trice will go in all 3 keys while Forte will go in keys 1 and 3 only.
Key 1
Tapit Trice has been undefeated in his last 4 races, beginning with a MSW at Aqueduct Park on December 17, 2022, to the G1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8, 2023. Before the Blue Grass Stakes he won the G3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 11, 2023.
Tapit Trice is in prime form, peaking just at the right time, unlike Forte who has been dominant since September 2022 against lesser competition apart from his Breeders Cup Juvenile victory on November 4, 2022.
Forte and Kingsbarns join Tapit Trice in the 3-horse first key. We’re replacing Practical Move with Kingsbarns after he scratched with a fever on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Key 2
Put Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns in the second key. Add Angel of Empire as key 2’s third horse. Angel of Empire won the G1 Arkansas Derby on April 1, 2023, coming off prior win at the G2 Risen Star Stakes on February 18, 2023 at Fair Grounds.
Key 3
Finally, the third key. Reuse Tapit Trice, Forte, and Angel of Empire. Our fifth horse is Derma Sotogake, a Japanese colt with excellent international racing credentials. He recently won the UAE Meydan Derby on March 25, 2023. He previously won the Zennippon Nisai Yushun at the Kawasaki racetrack in Japan on December 14, 2022.
MSW Abbreviation: MSW means “Maiden Special Weight”. It’s an event reserved for horses who have never won a race.
2023 Kentucky Derby Trifecta Part Wheel Keys
- 1: Tapit Trice, Kingsbarns, Forte
- 2: Tapit Trice, Kingsbarns, Angel of Empire
- 3: Tapit Trice, Forte, Angel of Empire, Derma Sotogake
Total Cost: $18, $1 per combination
How to Place a Kentucky Derby Trifecta Wheel Bet?
Visit our recommended online race books below. Wait until the field is set and each horse is assigned a starting position. Fill out your Trifecta Wheel ticket with each horse’s corresponding number. Then sit back and get rich!
Bet On the Derby Now
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| #1 TwinSpires REVIEW | New Customers - $200 Signup Bonus - Code: BET200 Bet Now 21+ Play from any approved state Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 |
| #2 DRF Bets REVIEW | New Customers - $200 Deposit Bonus + 10 Performance Cards - Code: Stakes Bet Now 21+ Play from any approved state Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 |
Good luck from Ron Halfback!
5 Horse Trifecta Part Wheel
Here’s how to reuse this 5 horse trifecta part wheel bet for any other race. Remember, you need to put certain horses in each trifecta key, reusing some horses in multiple keys. That gives you some room for error without paying the exorbitant cost of a more cumbersome trifecta box bet.
Each letter represents a different horse. Horses A, B, C, and D appear in multiple keys while Horse E only appears in Key 3.
- 1: A, B, C
- 2: A, B, D
- 3: A, C, D, E
Total Cost: $18, $1 per combination
Kentucky Derby Trifecta FAQs
Select one or more horses for the first, second and third trifecta keys. Your bet wins if a horse from each of your keys finishes in the respective finishing position: a horse from key 1 wins, a horse from key 2 finishes second, a horse from key 3 finishes third.
A trifecta part wheel is more efficient than a trifecta box bet of equal number of horses because it is more efficient. You’re not paying for every possible winning combination. Instead, you’re only paying for a set of the most likely outcomes.
Kentucky Derby Trifecta bets cost $1 each. Trifecta part wheel bets cost $1 per winning combination, determined by the number of horses you add to each key.
Kentucky Derby Resources
- Kentucky Derby Betting Odds – Odds to win this year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Learn how to bet on the Kentucky Derby.
- Kentucky Derby Trifecta Picks – See our trifecta picks for this year’s Kentucky Derby, with prerace commentary and updates before the Derby.
- Kentucky Derby Betting Sites – Best legal online horse betting sites that accept Kentucky Derby wagers, plus last minute race picks.
- How to bet on Horses – We’ve made horse racing betting easy, giving you a basic rundown of the win, place, show, and win-place-show bet. You’ll also learn how place a trifecta, superfecta, exacta, or quinella bet.
- Horse Betting Sites – We’ve reviewed the finest legal US horse racing betting sites, offering our own insights and guidance on where to place a bet. Don’t forget to claim your bonus code.
- Horse Racing Betting Tracks – Complete list of today’s thoroughbred horse races and harness races from major United States tracks and raceways, plus a select list of Canadian and Latin American tracks.