The time has come to bet the Kentucky Oaks! This Grade 1, $1.25 million race for the best three-year-old fillies in the country is coming up Friday, May 5 at Churchill Downs. With a full field of the best sophomore fillies in training set to go 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt, this is one of the most exciting and lucrative wagering opportunities of the year.
The Kentucky Oaks is as historic as the Derby: it has been running since 1875, just as long as the Derby. All time greats like Modesty (the namesake of a race on the Oaks card!), Black Maria, and Princess Rooney have won the race, as have modern greats like Rachel Alexandra, Monomoy Girl, and Secret Oath.
Keep reading to find out the leading contenders in the 2023 Kentucky Oaks, and the best places to bet the Kentucky Oaks online.
Betting the Kentucky Oaks Online
As much as we all want to be along the rail as the field for the Kentucky Oaks storms by, we cannot all make it there. Fortunately, you can get the best Kentucky Oaks odds from the comfort of home by betting the horse race from a top online racebook!
There are many options for betting online, but our trusted betting site reviews will help you find the best choice quickly and easily. All of our recommended sites offer market-leading odds and trusted payouts. And, every site offers incentives like sign-up bonuses, deposit bonuses, and horse racing rebates that you’ll never find at the track.
Take a few minutes now to maximize your Kentucky Oaks profits by signing up for one of these online racebooks today!
2023 Kentucky Oaks Field
This is the official field for the 2023 Kentucky Oaks including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds:
- Mimi Kakushi (Salem bin Ghadayer / Mickael Barzalona) - 20/1
- The Alys Look (Brad Cox / Javier Castellano) - 15/1
- Gambling Girl (Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 15/1
- Southlawn (Norm Casse / Reylu Gutierrez) - 8/1
- Wonder Wheel (Mark Casse / Joel Rosario) - 12/1
- Botanical (Brad Cox / Chris Landeros) - 4/1
- Wet Paint (Brad Cox / Flavien Prat) - 5/2
- Promiseher America (Raymond Handal / Jorge Vargas, Jr.) - 30/1
- And Tell Me Nolise (Peter Miller / Ramon Vazquez) - 15/1
- Flying Connection (Todd Fincher / Florent Geroux) - 15/1
- Defining Purpose (Kenny McPeek / Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 12/1
- Dorth Vader (Michael Yates / Luis Saez) - 20/1
- Affirmative Lady (Graham Motion / John Velazquez) - 10/1
- Pretty Mischievous (Brendan Walsh / Tyler Gaffalione) - 10/1
- Taxed (Randy Morse / Rafael Bejarano) - 20/1 - ALSO ELIGIBLE
- Julia Shining (Todd Pletcher / Luis Saez) - 15/1 - ALSO ELIGIBLE
- Hoosier Philly (Tom Amoss / Edgar Morales) - 30/1 - ALSO ELIGIBLE
If horses scratch from the Oaks field before 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Friday, then Taxed, Julia Shining, and Hooser Philly can get into the field, in that order of priority. If Julia Shining draws into the field, Luis Saez will ride her and Jose Ortiz takes over the mount on Dorth Vader.
The morning line is just the track’s best guess about what the odds will look like in the pari-mutuel pools come post time. Your best bet is to play the Kentucky Oaks at an online sportsbook. Since betting sites offer fixed-odds wagering on major races, you can lock in the best price on your pick the moment you place your bet!
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Paint | +300 | +350 | +350 |
| Botanical | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Southlawn | +700 | +900 | +900 |
| Affirmative Lady | +1000 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Pretty Mischievous | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Wonder Wheel | +1200 | +1300 | +1300 |
Kentucky Oaks Handicapping
Now that you have your betting account, it is time to meet the main contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Oaks.
Kentucky Oaks Top Play
Even though Wet Paint will be a well-defined favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, sometimes the favorite is the goods. This Brad Cox trainee looks like the goods. She won all three of her points races at Oaklawn impressively, and scored with style on both dry and wet dirt. (With a rainy Oaks day likely, this is going to come in handy.)
Her pedigree suggests she’ll stretch out well to the final half-furlong. And, even though she has been coming from well off of the pace, she showed in the Martha Washington that she does not have to sit quite that far back to be effective. All in all, someone is going to have to run a big race to topple Wet Paint.
Kentucky Oaks Bet-Against
As strong as Wet Paint looks as the favorite, get some Kentucky Oaks value by tossing morning-line second-choice Botanical. She won her two points preps impressively, but they were both on Tapeta. She has never tried dirt, and a mile and an eighth against the best dirt fillies in the country is a tough first time to try a new footing. Look to more proven horses.
Other Kentucky Oaks Contenders
Affirmative Lady has come into her own as a three-year-old. She was a good juvenile. Even though she was still a maiden, Graham Motion ran her in points races including the Demoiselle (G2), and she finished a close second over a sloppy 1 ⅛ miles. She broke her maiden at Gulfstream and then won the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), showing her best form yet. The biggest question is whether she loses too much ground from the 13-hole.
Southlawn is another who has taken a step up from two to three. She has won both of her races this year at Fair Grounds in impressive fashion, including the always-classy Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). The biggest question surrounding her is how she handles Churchill, as she came up flat in two races in Louisville last year.
Kentucky Oaks Price Horses
Promiseher America sprung a 26-1 surprise in the Gazelle (G3) last out. It was her first race at two turns. Being by American Pharoah out of an Unbridled’s Song mare, there is a lot in her pedigree to suggest that time and distance would move her forward. The question is whether she regresses, but at a huge price she’ll be the right odds to bet that last race was just the real Promiseher America coming out to play.
It would be a surprise to see Gambling Girl win, since her only victories have come against New York-breds. But, she keeps hitting the board in 1 ⅛-mile Oaks preps. She is tactical, and she has shown that the Oaks distance is the distance she wants. She always tends to find a horse too good, but her penchant for hitting the board can enrich exotics.
Kentucky Oaks Best Bets
There is only one thing left to do, and it’s the most fun part of all: place your bets on the 2023 Kentucky Oaks! These are your expert best bets for the race:
- $30 to win: #7 Wet Paint
- $10 to win/place/show: #8 Promiseher America
- $1 exacta key: #7 Wet Paint with #3 Gambling Girl, #8 Promiseher America
- $1 trifecta key: #7 Wet Paint with #3 Gambling Girl, #8 Promiseher America, #13 Affirmative Lady
- $1 superfecta key: #7 Wet Paint with #3 Gambling Girl, #4 Southlawn, #8 Promiseher America, #13 Affirmative Lady
