Reigning juvenile champion Forte can validate himself as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby when he leaves the starting gate in the 2023 Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Forte has five wins in six career starts and already has been tabbed as the horse to beat for the Kentucky Derby on May 6. Saturday’s Florida Derby 2023 will be his final prep prior to the first leg of the Triple Crown. Forte is the 4-5 in the 2023 Florida Derby odds. The Tim Yakteen-trained Fort Bragg is 5-1 in the 12-horse 2023 Florida Derby field, while Dubyuhnell (6-1), Cyclone Mischief (8-1) and Mage (10-1) round out the top five.

The 2023 Florida Derby post time is 6:40 p.m. ET. With several talented three-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2023 Florida Derby picks.

A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team who is based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014.

Last year he was red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o’ War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s, including May 14’s at Belmont for $1,851. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, he has handicapped the 2023 Florida Derby lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. Go to SportsLine to see them. 

Top 2023 Florida Derby predictions 

One surprise: Weir is high on the chances of Mage, even though he’s a sizable underdog at 10-1. Mage is fresh off a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, which was ultimately won by Forte.

“I liked Mage as the alternative to Forte in the Fountain of Youth, and I’m willing to give him another chance,” Weir told SportsLine. “He broke awkwardly that day, lost his position early and was forced to go at least five-wide into the first turn. He stayed wide through the remainder of the race and ultimately tired late in his first go around two turns. Even with all those issues, he still matched his Beyer Speed Figure from his debut. On Saturday he gets Luis Saez, who is a top gate jockey. There’s still upside here.” See Weir’s 2023 Florida Derby picks at SportsLine.

How to make 2023 Florida Derby picks

Weir is also backing two mammoth long shots who “should be looking for a stalking trip in a race that could have a fast pace.” He’s using these horses in his exotics, and so should you. He’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.

So what horse wins the Florida Derby 2023? And which double-digit longshots are must-backs? Check out the latest 2023 Florida Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir’s picks for the 2023 Florida Derby, and find out. 

2023 Florida Derby odds