This year’s Kentucky Derby will feature a clear favorite, Forte, at the front of the 20-horse field, but will Saturday’s race be the launchpad for a new star or the door to another five weeks of chaos? Here are five storylines to keep an eye on.
Rich Strike did not exist as far as fans and bettors were concerned when they handicapped the 2022 Kentucky Derby. His trainer, little-known Eric Reed, did not even find out he’d be in the race until the morning before.
He’s trained by one of the sport’s titans, Todd Pletcher, and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., who led all North American jockeys in winnings by more than $7 million last year. So what’s not to like? Pletcher has saddled more horses for the Derby than any trainer in history — he won it in 2017 with favored Always Dreaming and in 2010 with Super Saver — but this is the most accomplished contender he has ever brought to Louisville. If there’s a 3-year-old better than Forte, we have yet to see the evidence.It’s not hard to find fans and bettors who prefer Tapit Trice, a 5-1 second choice in the morning line, to Forte.
The last international contender to create serious buzz on the backside was Mendelssohn in 2018, and he finished dead last for the great Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien.
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