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. Forte has five wins in six career starts and already has been tabbed as the horse to beat in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6. This week, Forte is the 4-5 favorite in the 2023 Florida Derby odds. Post time for the $1 million race 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, Weir has handicapped the 2023 Florida Derby field, made his picks and constructed his bets.

One surprise: Weir is high on Mage, even though he's a double-digit longshot coming off a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. "On Saturday, he gets Luis Saez, who is a top gate jockey. There's still upside here," Weir told SportsLine. 

Weir is also backing two mammoth longshots who "should be looking for a stalking trip in a race that could have a fast pace." Weir is including these horses in his 2023 Florida Derby bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY need to see his picks before locking in any of your own!

What horse will win the Florida Derby 2023? And which double-digit longshots are must-backs? ... Join SportsLine right now to get the top 2023 Florida Derby picks, all from the racing who has crushed Kentucky Derby prep races!