BloodHorse news editor Byron King presents his final Derby Dozen Presented by Spendthrift, with a look at his leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 6.

The field has been drawn for the 149th Kentucky Derby, and Forte, winner of the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm at Xalapa, was made the 3-1 morning-line favorite drawing post position 15. Now the countdown begins to approximately 6:57 p.m. ET on May 6, when a projected 20 3-year-olds will compete to secure a spot in racing history.

Check out America’s Best Racing's Triple Crown page to keep up to date with stories and statistics on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

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1. Forte 

The longtime leader in the Derby Dozen rankings, he maintains the top position for the final pecking order of the season. Last year’s juvenile champion, perfect in two starts this year, seemingly drew well for the May 6 Kentucky Derby by landing post 15 at the May 1 draw. He is more likely to lose a bit of ground from that post but also get a trip in the clear, a plus for a horse with a late-running style. He playfully bucked for a couple of strides during an energetic gallop May 2 at Churchill Downs, leaving co-owner Mike Repole, watching from the backstretch, to exclaim, “Look at this guy feeling good!”

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2. Angel of Empire 

Most of the Derby preps in early April had relatively small margins of victory, leaving his 4 ¼-length triumph in the April 1 Arkansas Derby as a big-win outlier. Throw in that he also won the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Lincoln and Lamarque Crescent City Ford, defeating Two Phil’s and other Derby participants, and it is clear this horse seems a major player in the Run for the Roses. Just about every trainer says they think their horse will appreciate the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles, as trainer Brad Cox noted about him, but in Angel of Empire’s case, the proof of his staying power is reflected in Cox’s spotting of this colt. Five of his six starts have come in two-turn routes, four of which have resulted in victories.

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3. Derma Sotogake

Japan’s top Derby hope, he drew toward the outside in post 17. From there, Christophe Lemaire may employ more patient riding tactics than in the UAE Derby Sponsored by Atlantis the Royal in Dubai, when he hustled him to the lead from his inside post. UAE Derby runners have been ice cold in this Derby, finishing off the board every time in 18 starts, but this colt’s performance in Dubai appeared top-notch. His 118 rating in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings is the highest of any 3-year-old, though the rating was based on a UAE Derby that had a favorable race flow for frontrunners.

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4. Verifying 

The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes runner-up drew post 2 in the Derby, statistically not a good spot. Since 1987, when Ferdinand won from the inside post, the win rate for posts 1, 2, or 3 is just 0.95% (1-for-105). With this colt having tactical speed, he figures to be hustled away by Tyler Gaffalione, and being up close to a projected moderate pace should leave him with a fighting chance. Verifying needs to avoid a bottled-up inside trip, a journey the colt received when fourth in a sloppy running of the Feb. 25 Rebel Stakes.

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5. Tapit Trice 

Forte’s stablemate has been a head-turner in Derby training this week with powerful gallops around the Churchill Downs oval. He is feeling good leading into the 1 1/4-mile test. The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner has the talent and pedigree to be a major Derby force, but he slides slightly in the final rankings due to racing a bit greenly in some of his races. Prone to breaking slowly and disliking kickback, there is an understandable fear he could climb if taking dirt in his face in the Derby, as he did in the Tampa Bay Derby. Expecting him to run well in the Derby but to shine even more in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets five weeks later.

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6. Practical Move 

While many riders may be looking to keep their horses in the clear in the Derby, Ramon Vasquez can feel confident in his horse running well if he can work out an inside stalking trip. This colt has slipped up the fence to win his last three starts, all graded stakes, in Southern California. Horse and jockey are 3-for-3 together. Practical Move can break a little flat-footed but he gets himself into the race quickly, which has allowed him to secure favorable running positions in recent starts. One could argue that he is perhaps not as likely to relish 1 1/4 miles as others, as Mandarin Hero was slowly cutting into his advantage late when Practical Move won by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. UPDATE: Practical Move was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby on May 4 due to an elevated temperature, TVG and Daily Racing Form reported.

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7. Two Phil’s  

One of the final arrivals to Churchill Downs, he has looked good in his gallops over the track, which followed a :59 five-furlong workout at Hawthorne Race Course April 29 before coming to Kentucky. If he can replicate the speed of his last race, when he won the Jeff Ruby Steaks in fast time over the synthetic track at Turfway Park, he could prove dangerous, even from post 3. He is like his sire Hard Spun in being a graded winner on dirt and synthetic. Hard Spun ran second in the 2007 Derby to Street Sense after winning the Lane’s End Stakes (which became the Jeff Ruby) at Turfway.

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8. Confidence Game 

Trainer Keith Desormeaux elected to bring this horse into Saturday’s race fresh, with Confidence Game having 70 days of rest between winning the Rebel and racing in the Derby. No horse has won a modern Derby contested in the spring after more than 42 days off, though Authentic won the COVID-19 postponed Derby in September 2020 after 49 days away. Interestingly, this colt won over a fast Churchill strip last fall in an allowance optional claimer that produced three Derby starters, the others being Rocket Can and Hit Show.

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9. Skinner 

This 3-year-old is just 1-for-6 but has caught the eye in defeat with thirds in both the San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby. In order to close the gap on Practical Move and handle others in the Derby field, he needs to elevate his game somewhat. “I don’t know if he needs to cut a corner, not get hung out so much or get between horses somewhere, or start his run a little bit later, but somewhere there has to be something different,” trainer John Shirreffs said. The colt is bred for excellence at a route, being by Curlin, and he picks up Santa Anita leading jockey Juan Hernandez, who is riding his first Derby.

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10. Kingsbarns

As widely anticipated, Jose Ortiz secured the mount on this promising colt, a winner of all three of his starts, including the 1 3/16-mile Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. A draw in post 6 leaves Ortiz with options on this versatile 3-year-old, who won from just off the pace in his first two outings before wiring the field in the Louisiana Derby. He and Mage are the least seasoned runners in the field. Asked about his concerns heading into the Derby, Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher replied, “It’s just a matter of if he has enough experience in a big group like this.”

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11. Mage 

In just his third start, this talented colt came within a length of beating Forte, and he did so despite a slow start and a wide run around the second turn. If he can put it all together in the Derby, there is no telling what he might do. But given that he also broke slowly when fourth in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, there is an obvious worry that he might do so again. The lengthy process of loading 20 horses into the Kentucky Derby gate, as the massive crowd begins to roar in excitement, can rattle a 3-year-old.

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12. Rocket Can

One of two horses in the Derby lineup adding blinkers, Rocket Can attempts to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing fourth in the Arkansas Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is looking for more focus in making the change of equipment. Looking past the Florida Derby, this horse was second to Forte in the Fountain of Youth and won the Holy Bull Stakes – efforts that ranked him as one of the better 3-year-olds in Florida. The Arkansas Derby marked the first time in five routes that this horse was not in the exacta.