Kentucky Derby Futures Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2022 Kentucky Derby is set for May 7 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Kentucky Derby Futures Preview
- Race: Kentucky Derby
- Purse: $3 million
- Track: Churchill Downs
- Date: May 7, 2022
- Post Time: 6:57 PM (ET)
- Live: Kentucky Derby Futures Odds: Click Here
2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Handicapping
Every year almost 400 thoroughbred horses are nominated to run in the Kentucky Derby, but ultimately no more than 20 of those will make it to the starting gate in May.
From mid-September to mid-April, nominated horses will run in a series of qualifying races dubbed “The Road to the Kentucky Derby.” There are 48 races in all, most of which are run in the US, but also include a handful of races in the UK, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Typically any one horse will run in 1 to 4 of these races, and in the end the 20 with the most points will qualify to make the 1 1/4 miles Run for the Roses.
Months before the big race, sports books like Bovada offer future bet odds on these horses. Each week here at Capperspicks, we will take a look at four of these potential Derby champions.
Future odds listed here are provided by Bovada’s racebook at the time of posting.
2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick & Handicapping: Smile Happy Race Odds: 20-1
Smile Happy ran his record to a perfect two-for-two with an impressive win in the (G2) Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on the last Saturday in November. There he tracked just off the early pace and overcame a bit of a wide trip to take over in mid-stretch and power away to win by just over three lengths.
In doing so he increased his Equibase speed figure by five points over his previous debut win at Keenenland, which is what you want to see in a developing two-year-old.
Pedigree: Sire Runhappy was the winner of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint as well as a pair of other Grade 1 sprint races. Grandsire Pleasant Tap was a multiple graded-stakes winner including the (G1) Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles, and was second in the 1992 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Possible next start: (G3) Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on January 22.
2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick & Handicapping: Zandon Race Odds: 33-1
Zandon was beaten by just a nose last Saturday in the (G2) Remsen Stakes going 1 1/8 miles but was clearly the best of the rest as he finished more than nine lengths in front of the third-place horse.
Some late bumping in the shadow of the wire may have cost him the win, although a jockey claim of foul was dismissed by the stewards. Although he didn’t win the race he showed a lot of fight right to the wire and doesn’t seem to mind going a distance of ground.
Pedigree: Sire is the NY-bred Upstart who ran third in the 2014 BC Juvenile and finished in the money in 11 of 15 lifetime starts, although he was dead last of 18 in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. Grandsire Creative Cause was fifth in the 2012 Derby and third in the Preakness Stakes that year.
Possible next start: (G3) Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on January 22.
2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick & Handicapping: Mo Donegal Race Odds: 33-1
Mo Donegal was the winner of the Remsen and got the benefit of pretty wily ride from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. who took him five-wide off the turn to find running room and then did everything possible within the rules to keep rival Zandon pinned to the rail.
Prior to that he overcame a slow start and a wide trip to get up for his first win at Belmont Park going 1 1/16 miles.
Pedigree: Sire Uncle Mo won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile but did not compete in the 2011 Triple Crown series. Half-brother Golden Pal is a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner sprinting on the turf.
Possible next start: (G3) Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, January 29.
2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick & Handicapping: Classic Causeway Race Odds: 40-1
Classic Causeway broke his maiden in his very first lifetime start and since then has run a pair of decent races in finishing third in the (G1) Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and second in the (G2) Kentucky Jockey Club.
His problem is that the horses that won those two races are also Derby contenders in the early months of qualifying, and he wasn’t really a challenge for those two in those two races. The bottom line is he will have to improve and somewhere win a race to move up the odds board.
Pedigree: Sire Giant’s Causeway is a Kentucky bred that became a superstar in UK turf racing, and then ran second in the 2000 BC Classic in his lone lifetime start on dirt. Grandsire Thunder Gulch won the 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Possible next start: (G3) Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, January 29.
Here’s My 2022 Kentucky Derby Futures Free Pick.
As indicated in the odds, there’s not much to choose here between Zandon and Mo Donegal, but while the Remsen produced a thrilling finish, the fact is the race time came back very slow.
As a Derby future bet among these I would have to give the nod to Smile Happy, although there is a distance concern based on pedigree, and I would want to see him stretching out to 1 1/8 miles before making any commitment with my hard-earned cash.
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