Andy Serling Kentucky Derby 2023 Expert Picks & Predictions: Back Two Phil’s, Verifying at Churchill Downs

andy serling

Andy Serling is a widely renowned horse racing expert, known for his handicapping skills and insightful analysis. Serling analyzes racing for New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the Daily Racing Form. With that in mind, it is no wonder his opinion on the 2023 Kentucky Derby is highly sought after. Let’s dive in, and take a look at Andy Serling’s 2023 Kentucky Derby picks and predictions.

Here is a quick sneak peek at Andy Serling’s expert picks for the 2023 Kentucky Derby:


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  • 🐴 Event: Kentucky Derby
  • 📅 Date & Time: May 6th, 6:57 pm
  • 🌎 Location: Churchill Downs, Kentucky
  • 📺 TV Channel: NBC
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Andy Serling Kentucky Derby 2023 Picks and Predictions

Horse racing expert Andy Serling believes that opposing favorite, Forte (+325) for the Kentucky Derby is the right play. While Serling thinks Forte can win the race, he thinks that the odds on offer do not reflect value. Instead, Serling will be looking to get Forte beat, and looks elsewhere for his favorite plays in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

So, if not the favorite, then who? Let’s take a look at Andy Serling’s expert picks for the Kentucky Derby, starting with his best bet, Two Phil’s.

Two Phil’s (+2000)

The Kentucky Derby’s most annoying horse, Two Phil’s is Andy Serling’s best bet in the big race. The unnecessary apostrophe in its name has got half the TSD office rooting against this one, while the other half failed to spot the grammatical error.

Two Phil’s performance in the Risen Star is one of Andy Serling’s reasons to be backing Two Phil’s in the Derby. ” I really liked his Risen Star performance,” Serling said. “The Risen Star was a race that fell apart, and he was the horse that broke the race open by making the first real move into the pace. I thought his effort was very respectable behind Angel of Empire. In fact, I don’t really think he ran much worse than Angel of Empire did in victory.”

Serling also isn’t worried about where Two Phil’s sits in the race coming around the home turn.  Serling said, “Two Phil’s is the type of horse that has an affinity for speed to put himself in position, but he doesn’t need to be in front. I think Two Phil’s has a very, very good chance at this year’s Kentucky Derby. And if he ends up being a square enough price, my money will be in.”

Verifying (+1200)

Andy Serling’s next best bet in the race is Verifying at +1200. One of Brad Cox’s four runners, Verifying will come out of the 2 post, but Serling says with the new gates, he doesn’t worry about the low draw too much.

Serling believes that the Bluegrass was one of the better prep races for the Kentucky Derby and Verifying gave second favorite Tapit Trice all it could handle in that race. At double the price of Tapit Trice, Serling says that Verifying is one of the better value bets in this race.

Tapit Trice (+600)

Second favorite Tapit Trice at odds of +600 rounds out Andy Serling’s top-three Kentucky Derby picks. Tapit Trice is one of Todd Pletcher’s trio in the race and will be ridden by Luis Saez, who has yet to be successful in the Kentucky Derby.

There are no worries about the trip according to Serling. He believes that Tapit Trice is one of the horses in the race that is most suited to the ten furlongs. If the Bluegrass is as good a race as Serling thinks it is, look out for both Tapit Trice and Verifying to be big players on Saturday evening.


Kentucky Derby Betting Guides 2024


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