Kentucky Oaks Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2022 Kentucky Oaks is set for May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Kentucky Oaks Preview
- Race: Kentucky Oaks
- Purse: $1.25 million
- Track: Churchill Downs
- Date: May 6
- Post Time: 5:51 PM (ET)
- Live: Kentucky Oaks Odds: Click Here
2022 Kentucky Oaks Handicapping
While the colts gathered at Churchill Downs this weekend are getting the most attention prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby, the best three-year-old fillies in the country will take to the track on Friday for the running of the (G1) Kentucky Oaks.
Run at a distance of 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill dirt, the 2022 Oaks has drawn a full field of 14, with four very tough contenders separated from the rest in terms of the morning line odds. Two of those are undefeated so far in their career, while a third recently ran third against males in the (G1) Arkansas Derby.
Odds listed here are provided by Bovada’s racebook.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick & Handicapping: Nest Race Odds: 3-1
The speedy Nest comes in off an easy win in the (G1) Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, where she settled just off the pace before taking over and drawing off to win by more than 8 lengths.
Prior to that she opened 2022 with a six-length win in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. She’s the only one of the top contenders with a win at the 1 1/8 miles distance after taking the (G2) Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct to close out her 2021 season.
She has four wins in five starts with one third-place finish.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has four Oaks wins to his name including last year. The jockey is Irad Ortiz Jr.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick & Handicapping: Echo Zulu Race Odds: 7-2
The winner of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Echo Zulu will try to become only the third filly in history – and first since 1999 – to complete the BCJF/Oaks double.
A wire-to-wire winner in her last four races, she was all out in her first start of this year in taking the (G2) Fair Grounds Oaks by a nose at the end of March. Since then she has put in some very solid works at Churchill leading up to the race and should move forward in her second start of the season.
She’s the only filly in the field with a Brisnet speed rating that tops 100, having scored a 103 at the Breeders’ Cup.
Steve Asmussen is a two-time race winner as trainer. Joel Rosario is the jock.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick & Handicapping: Kathleen O Race Odds: 17-4
Like Echo Zulu, Kathleen O has yet to be beaten in a four-race career, but she has a completely different running style as she likes to close from the back of the pack.
That has served her well so far, including last out when she went from last to first to win the (G2) Gulfstream Park Oaks by 2 3/4 lengths, after doing the same thing to capture the (G2) Davona Dale Stakes, also at Gulfstream.
Veteran trainer Shug McGaughey won the race way back in 1993. Jockey Javier Castellano rode the winner in 2016.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick & Handicapping: Secret Oath Race Odds: 9-2
After winning the (G3) Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park by more than 7 lengths, the connections of Secret Oath thought so highly of her they decided to run against colts in the Arkansas Derby to try and qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
She ran well to get third, but since that wasn’t enough points to make the Derby gate, she’s here with the fillies instead. Typically a mid-pack runner, she closed 2021 and opened 2022 with three straight wins by a combined 23 lengths.
Of the top four contenders, she’s the only one with a previous win at Churchill.
Trainer Wayne Lukas has won the Oaks four times, the last of those in 1990. Luis Saez gets the call to ride.
Here’s My 2022 Kentucky Oaks Free Pick.
There is rain in the forecast for Louisville on Friday, but that doesn’t help much in terms of handicapping as Kathleen O, Echo Zulu and Nest all have wins on off tracks. In the case of Nest, she won her last race on a track rated as wet-fast. Even Secret Oath has a third-place finish on a track rated sloppy.
I think pace is going to be the big factor here. I expect Echo Zulu will be up on the lead early, but she’ll have some company and will be tasked with holding off the charge of the other three as they turn for home.
While Nest and Secret Oath will be the first of those challengers, I like Kathleen O to arrive on the scene late and run them down for the win. I think she’s going to love the extra distance here and will take advantage of the others slugging it out and wearing each other down.
Full Field: Kentucky Oaks Odds
By post position
- #1 – Secret Oath 9-2
- #2 – Nostalgic 18-1
- #3 – Hidden Connection 16-1
- #4 – Nest 3-1
- #5 – Goddess of Fire 20-1
- #6 – Yuugiri 33-1
- #7 – Echo Zulu 7-2
- #8 – Venti Valentine 20-1
- #9 – Desert Dawn 16-1
- #10 – Kathleen O 17-4
- #11 – Cocktail Moments 33-1
- #12 – Candy Raid 40-1
- #13 – Shahama 14-1
- #14 – Turnerloose 40-1
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