Coming up on Saturday, February 11 is the only Road to the Kentucky Derby race on the Northern California circuit: the El Camino Real Derby! The nine-furlong dirt race offers a rich purse of $100,000. It is one of the most important betting races at Golden Gate Fields, and it often has an impact on the Triple Crown!
The race offers 10-4-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby points to its top five finishers. In addition, the race awards its winner an automatic bid into the Preakness Stakes. 2021 Preakness winner Rombauer earned his berth with a victory in the El Camino Real. Tank’s Prospect (1985), Snow Chief (1986), and Tabasco Cat (1994) also won both the El Camino Real and the Preakness, with Tabasco Cat winning the Belmont as well.
Keep reading to meet the contenders for the 2023 El Camino Real, and find out the best places to bet the race online in California!
Not everyone can take a trip up to the Bay Area for El Camino Real Derby day, but you can enjoy all the thrills and get the best odds by playing at a top California racebook! All of our recommended betting sites have the basics of a great experience. These include trusted cash-outs, smooth user interfaces, and real Las Vegas odds.
Our recommended sites also offer lucrative racebook bonuses that the track does not. These include sign-up and deposit incentives, referral benefits, and even horse racing rebates! Our experts make it easy to choose the right site, and taking a few minutes now to find out the best bonuses for your betting style can mean hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars down the line!
With your account at a top California betting site set up, it is time to meet the field for the El Camino Real.
These are the likely contenders for the 2023 El Camino Real Derby including their trainers:
Closer to the race, the track will release a final field with jockeys, post positions, and morning line odds. As the race gets closer, make sure to track the odds at your chosen online racebook! Since the morning line is just the track’s best guess and odds can fluctuate on track until post time, your best bet is to play the El Camino Real Derby online since many racebooks offer fixed-odds wagering on major races.
Passarando was defeated by California-breds last out, but that was both downstate and on dirt. He returns to his home track and his better surface for this race. His versatile off-pace style should get a good trip behind a lively speed contingent, and his pedigree appeals strongly for the stretch out to nine furlongs.
Since trainer Bob Baffert has won two of the last three editions of this race, it makes sense to look at his horses. Though Nullarbor looks outclassed, Gilmore comes in with a solid chance. He woke up nicely in his first two-turn try, rallying after a tough start. And, though that came on dirt, his sire Twirling Candy is an extremely appealing synthetic-track influence.
Speaking of Southern California connections, take a stand against Thirsty John. Though his trainer Peter Miller is a big name, he has never won the El Camino Real. Furthermore, Thirsty John will be one of many pace horses in this field, and his pedigree appeals significantly more for dirt than this synthetic footing.
Chase the Chaos was rather bizarrely ignored at 65-1 in the Gold Rush, after a perfectly decent third in the local prep for that race. However, he ran a good second in the Gold Rush and then franked that with a blowout allowance win December 30. That shows talent on Tapeta, and his rally-from-midfield running style should give him a nice trip behind all the speed in this race.
Even though Happy Does was the well-beaten second in Chase the Chaos’s last-out win, he has since returned and won a one-mile allowance at Golden Gate in game fashion. He needs a step forward to beat the real top horses in this race, but he is consistent enough on Tapeta and versatile enough as to pace that he can contend for a share.
Even though Harcyn will not have it easy as one of several speed horses in this race, he has a lot of upside. Undefeated in two starts, we don’t know how good he is yet. He handled some pressure early in his maiden win. And, even though he tries two turns for the first time, he has every chance to take to nine furlongs, being by Goldencents out of a Street Cry half to Giacomo and Tiago.
You have set up your online betting account and gotten to know the field for the race. Now it is time for the fun part: placing your bets on the race! These are your best bets for the 2023 El Camino Real Derby:
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