Kentucky Derby 2023 Post Positions: Complete Listing for Every Horse

Race favorite Forte will run from the No. 15 gate in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Monday saw the full draw for the post positions in the 149th installment of the Run for the Roses. Twenty horses make up the field.

2023 Kentucky Derby Post Positions (Morning-Line Odds)

1. Hit Show (30-1)
2. Verifying (15-1)
3. Two Phil's (12-1)
4. Confidence Game (20-1)
5. Tapit Trice (5-1)
6. Kingsbarns (12-1)
7. Reincarnate (50-1)
8. Mage (15-1)
9. Skinner (20-1)
10. Practical Move (10-1)
11. Disarm (30-1)
12. Jace's Road (15-1)
13. Sun Thunder (30-1)
14. Angel of Empire (8-1)
15. Forte (3-1)
16. Raise Cain (15-1)
17. Derma Sotogake (10-1)
18. Rocket Can (15-1)
19. Lord Miles (30-1)
20. Continuar (50-1)

Historically, the No. 5 post has been the most advantageous with 10 wins in 93 races, according to America's Best Racing. However, Always Dreaming in 2017 was the last winner from that spot, so the trend hasn't applied in recent years.

The same can be said for the No. 10 gate, which has nine wins, but there have been none since Giacomo in 2005.

The general wisdom is that you don't want to get stuck too far inside at the start, because it can be difficult to find a path toward the front of the pack. That's why Real Quiet in 1998 is the last horse to win from any of the first three posts.

Getting drawn too far on the outside has its own drawbacks, because it requires a jockey to get their horse closer to the rail shortly after leaving the gate.

But getting drawn at the No. 21 gate didn't preclude Rich Strike from winning the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Authentic (No. 18) and Tiz the Law (No. 17) were first and second at Churchill Downs in 2020 as well.

Getting drawn at the No. 15 post puts Forte in a good position since he's far enough away from the rail but not all the way out on the outer edges.

The Todd Pletcher-trained colt is coming off five straight victories, the most recent of which was the Florida Derby. He surged into first place down the final stretch and held off Mage as he crossed the finish line.

"Well, I think his versatility is part of what makes him good," Pletcher said of Forte. "But really, he just has that natural instinct of the desire to win to get to the wire first."

If Forte is unable to get it done for Pletcher, then perhaps another of the strongest contenders, Tapit Trice, can deliver him a third Kentucky Derby win. Tapit Trice is riding a four-race winning streak, a run that includes a pair of graded stakes victories (Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes).