The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) will be run Friday, May 6 at Churchill Downs! The one and one eighth mile dirt race is one of the most historic and important races on the calendar. It drew an overflow field of the best three-year-old fillies in the country. The winner gets a huge purse, the iconic blanket of lilies, and recognition as the top sophomore filly in the nation.
The Kentucky Oaks has been run since 1875, as long as the Kentucky Derby has been. Its winners include all-time greats like Modesty, Black Maria, and Princess Rooney, as well as modern greats like Rachel Alexandra, Untapable, and Monomoy Girl.
This is the place to find out who to bet in the Kentucky Oaks and where to bet the race online.
2022 Kentucky Oaks Field
This is the official field for the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, including post positions, trainers, and jockeys:
- Secret Oath (D. Wayne Lukas/Luis Saez) - 6-1
- Nostalgic (Bill Mott/Jose Ortiz) - 15-1
- Hidden Connection (Bret Calhoun/Reylu Gutierrez) - 20-1
- Nest (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 5-2
- Goddess of Fire (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) - 15-1
- Yuugiri (Rodolphe Brisset/Florent Geroux) - 30-1
- Echo Zulu (Steve Asmussen/Joel Rosario) - 4-1
- Venti Valentine (Jose Abreu/Tyler Gaffalione) - 20-1
- Desert Dawn (Phil d’Amato/Umberto Rispoli) - 20-1
- Kathleen O. (Shug McGaughey/Javier Castellano) - 7-2
- Cocktail Moments (Ken McPeek/Corey Lanerie) - 30-1
- Candy Raid (Keith Desormeaux/Rafael Bejarano) - 30-1
- Shahama (Todd Pletcher/Flavien Prat) - 15-1
- Turnerloose (Brad Cox/Manuel Franco) - 20-1
- Beguine (Daniel Peitz/Ricardo Santana) - 30-1 - ALSO ELIGIBLE
Beguine is entered on the also-eligible list. That means she will draw into the field if someone scratches from the main field before 9:00 a.m. on Friday. If someone scratches after that time, which is when the local betting pools open, she will not get into the Oaks.
These are the odds for the horses at the top of the Kentucky Oaks market. Make sure to track them and to get your bet down when you have an overlay on your horse! After all, one of the main reasons an online racebook is better than the track is because they will let you lock in your odds the moment you bet.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nest | +300 | +300 | +275 |
| Echo Zulu | +350 | +400 | +350 |
| Kathleen O. | +425 | +400 | +450 |
| Secret Oath | +450 | +550 | +500 |
| Shahama | +1400 | +2000 | +1600 |
| Hidden Connection | +1600 | +1600 | +1200 |
| Desert Dawn | +1600 | +2000 | +1400 |
Betting the Kentucky Oaks Online
Going to Louisville to watch the Kentucky Oaks in person. Fortunately, we can enjoy the excitement from the comfort of home or anywhere with an internet connection by betting the race online! Make an account now at a top online racebook, and enjoy all the excitement while betting the race from home!
Though there are many options for online sportsbooks, our experts can help make this decision easy. Our trusted online betting site reviews help you find places with reliable deposit and cash-out options, great user interfaces, and the best odds anywhere. Our experts also know which sites have the best bonuses to make your experience more profitable than ever!
Cash in on the Kentucky Oaks by making your account and placing your bets at these top sportsbooks today:
Kentucky Oaks Handicapping
Once you have read the reviews and made your account at the site whose bonuses suit you best, you are ready to start handicapping the Kentucky Oaks. Let’s get to know the contenders:
Kentucky Oaks Favorites
Nest will be the favorite, but she has earned this status. She is already a winner at the nine-furlong Oaks distance, last year in the Demoiselle (G2). She was good then, but is even better now. Nest has won both of her three-year-old preps in romps, including the Ashland (G1) at Keeneland. With a stalking-to-midpack style and a strong off-track pedigree, Nest has the tools she needs to win the Oaks.
The other horse likely to take heavy money is Echo Zulu, but she is worth standing against. She has a lot of early speed — but so do other foes like Yuugiri, Venti Valentine, and Turnerloose. Though Echo Zulu may have been short for her only prep, and will be fitter this time, she still has a lot to find in order to prove she has trained on with the top of her division. Don’t take the underlay.
Kentucky Oaks Contenders
Secret Oath finished only third in her final prep, but that came against boys in the Arkansas Derby (G1), including legitimate Derby contender Cyberknife. The rail draw could lead to some traffic trouble, but she proved two me back in the Honeybee that she does not need things her own way. With so much speed drawn in, her late-running style should get a good setup as well.
Kathleen O. comes into the Kentucky Oaks undefeated after four starts. Three of them have come at Gulfstream, which is not always the most live spur of the Kentucky Oaks trail, but she has shown more talent than most horses who prep there. And, her debut came elsewhere: at Aqueduct, over a muddy track. This means she should be ready to handle the likely wet conditions.
Kentucky Oaks Price Horses
Shahama is the only horse cutting back in the distance after her final prep; she won the 1 3/16-mile UAE Oaks (G2) last out. Though she has only ever raced in the UAE, she is training well at Churchill and has the right off-pace running style for this field setup. Shahama should also have no trouble with the rain: she is by Munnings, one of the best off-track sires in the game.
Nostalgic comes into the Kentucky Oaks off of a win at the same distance, in the Gazelle (G3) at Aqueduct. Though she sat fairly close to the pace that time, she did not have to be so close to run a winning race, giving her versatility and options behind all the speed. She also has a strong off-track pedigree, something that weighs in her favor given the weather forecast.
Kentucky Oaks Best Bets
Here are your best bets for the 2022 Kentucky Oaks!
- $20 win: #4 Nest
- $5 win/place/show: #13 Shahama
- $5 exacta key: #4 Nest with #1 Secret Oath, #13 Shahama
- $1 trifecta key: #4 Nest with #1 Secret Oath, #10 Kathleen O., #13 Shahama
- $1 superfecta key: #4 Nest with #1 Secret Oath, #2 Nostalgic, #10 Kathleen O., #13 Shahama
