2023 Santa Anita Derby predictions, odds, date, post time: Surprising picks from proven horse racing expert
Michelle Yu has studied the Santa Anita Derby 2023 field and locked in her horse racing picks for Saturday's race at Santa Anita Park
By
CBS Sports Staff
•
2 min read
Trainer Tim Yakteen will try to win the Santa Anita Derby for the second straight year when he sends out two horses in the 2023 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The 55-year-old Yakteen won last year's Santa Anita Derby with Taiba. This year he has a strong chance to repeat, with Practical Move and National Treasure. Practical Move is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 2023 Santa Anita Derby odds, while National Treasure is tied for second in the odds in the nine-horse Santa Anita Derby 2023 field, with Geaux Rocket Ride, at 3-1.
Post time for the Santa Anita Derby 2023 is 5:30 p.m. ET. With several lightly raced 3-year-olds set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2023 Santa Anita Derby picks.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Since joining SportsLine in November 2021, her picks have cashed in the 2021 and '22 Breeders' Cup Classics, Kentucky Oaks, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, among other races.
In February she crushed the Saudi Cup, riding a 15-1 winner for an $840 score, and two weeks ago she nailed the UAE Derby for $185.
For Saturday, Yu has handicapped the 2023 Santa Anita Derby field, given her horse-by-horse analysis, made her picks and constructed her wagers. Head to SportsLine to see them.
Top Santa Anita Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu likes 8-1 longshot Mandarin Hero. Bred and based in Japan, Mandarin Hero has earned more than $236,000 in his career. He is coming off his only career defeat, a second-place finish in a stakes race on Feb. 23.
But that race was his first in more than three months and came at a grueling distance off a layoff ---1⅛ miles. "The Japanese have dominated the best racing in the world, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up on Saturday," Yu told SportsLine. Yu is using Mandarin Hero prominently in her 2023 Santa Anita Derby best bets. See who else to back at SportsLine.
How to make Santa Anita Derby picks
Moreover, Yu's top choice is a horse who "has done all the right things." She also is high on a double-digit longshot who "has upside." She's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Santa Anita Derby? What double-digit longshot who has upside is a must-back? What does Yu think of every horse in the race? And how has she constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Santa Anita Derby, and find out.
2023 Santa Anita Derby odds
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
| 1 | I Don't Get It | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Dazzlemesilver | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Geaux Rocket Ride | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | One in Vermillion | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Practical Move | 8-5 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | National Treasure | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Skinner | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Mandarin Hero | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Low Expectations | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
