Oaklawn Handicap Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2021 Oaklawn Handicap is set for April 17 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Oaklawn Handicap Preview and Prediction
- Race: Oaklawn Handicap
- Purse: $1 million
- Track: Oaklawn Park
- Date: April 17
- Post Time: 5:49 PM (ET)
- Live: Oaklawn Handicap Odds: Click Here
2021 Oaklawn Handicap Handicapping
The first of two $1 million races on the card for Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn Park, the Oaklawn Handicap is open to horses age four and older, racing 1 1/8 miles on the Oaklawn dirt course.
For 2021 the race has drawn a very competitive field of eight, including several with past graded-stakes wins under their saddle. Five are expected to go to the gate at less than double digit odds with no standout favourite, so the race should offer solid betting value.
Odds listed here are provided by the Oaklawn track handicapper.
2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick & Handicapping: Express Train Race Odds: 5-2
First or second in seven of nine career starts, Kentucky bred Express Train has done all of his racing in southern California with six races at Santa Anita and three others at Del Mar.
He has been facing some tough company lately on the SoCal circuit, and last out ran second by a half-length in the (G1) Santa Anita Handicap, just caught before the wire after taking the lead into the stretch. That was run at 1 1/4 miles, so he gets a cut back in distance here.
Prior to that he was an open-lengths winner of the (G2) San Pasqual Stakes, also at Santa Anita.
Trainer John Shirreffs won the Oaklawn in 2008, Juan Hernandez gets the call to ride.
2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick & Handicapping: Owendale Race Odds: 7-2
Veteran campaigner Owendale has just under $1.5 million in the bank for his career, ran third in the 2019 Preakness Stakes and is a two-time Breeders’ Cup runner, once in the Classic and last year in the Dirt Mile.
He’s been in the money in five of his last six starts, including running third two back in the (G2) Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn but he has been win-shy over the past year, going 0-for-7 since his last victory in May 2020.
He posted an excellent work over the Oaklawn track prepping for this, with a time that was the best of 80 four-furlong works on the day.
The trainer is Brad Cox, Florent Geroux is the jock.
2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick & Handicapping: Silver State Race Odds: 4-1
Although he has yet to score a graded-stakes win, Silver State has only been out of the money in only one of his nine career starts and comes into this event on a four-race winning streak.
The first two of those were at the allowance level, but the last two have come in the lower stakes ranks and both of those came over the Oaklawn surface as he was the winner by a nose in the Fifth Season Stakes and by a neck in the Essex Handicap. Those were run at one mile and 1 1/16 miles and he should appreciate getting a bit more distance here.
Steve Asmussen is the trainer, Ricardo Santana Jr. gets the call to ride.
2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick & Handicapping: Warrior’s Charge Race Odds: 6-1
Second in this race last year, Warrior’s Charge has had trouble finding consistency in his last few starts and went on the shelf for six months after running eighth as the favourite in the (G3) Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs last September.
He made his 2021 debut just three weeks ago when finishing second in an allowance level race at Oaklawn, but has a decent work since then and could move forward in his second start off the layoff.
He’s the second Brad Cox trainee in the field, while Elvis Gonzalez gets the mount.
Here’s My 2021 Oaklawn Handicap Free Pick.
This is a field of very evenly matched colts and there are a couple different handicapping angles at play. I expect there will be a very honest pace up front and it could just come down to who gets the first jump as they turn into the lane.
While a bit wary of a horse shipping for the first time to take on others with wins over the track, Express Train has been good against some really tough competition in California and the cutback in distance should be to his liking. I’ll take him to win at a fair price of 5-2 and use Silver State in the exacta.
Full Field: Oaklawn Handicap Betting Odds
- Express Train 5-2
- Fearless 7-2
- Owendale 7-2
- Silver State 4-1
- Warrior’s Charge 6-1
- Rated R Superstar 10-1
- Silver Prospector 10-1
- Guest Suite 15-1
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