2012 Kentucky Oaks Contenders
The Kentucky Oaks® is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually at Churchill Downs® on the day preceding the Kentucky Derby®.
The race currently covers 1 1/8 miles and the winner of the Kentucky Oaks® is presented with a Garland of Lilies draped around the filly's withers.
Top 10 Contender Picks for the Kentucky Oaks®
Updated: Tuesday, April 10, 2012. This week's top 10 contenders list compares my top 10 Kentucky Oaks® contenders with two expert's picks: John Asher and Loren Hebel-Osborne.
Next Update: Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Be sure to subscribe to the Derby Experiences blog and follow QuintEvents on Facebook and Twitter @QuintEvents for updates on the Kentucky Derby® and
Kentucky Oaks®.
*Unique Pick for Each Analyst
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Breaking Down the Picks
This week's top five contenders remains unchanged as the fillies reach the final weeks of their Kentucky Oaks® preps. Asher and Hebel-Osborne have On Fire Baby as their number one Kentucky Oaks® contender. At 13-1 odds, On Fire Baby currently has the fifth best odds for the May 5th race. She won the March 10, Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park and had a strong third place finish in January's Smarty Jones Stakes. She has been the heavy favorite in each of her Oaks preps, so look for her odds to improve before the Kentucky Oaks®.
My number one contender continues to be Princess Arabella. She is currently the 6-1 favorite for the Kentucky Oaks® and has performed well in her Oaks preps. She won the March 25 $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks in impressive fashion; winning the race by eight-lengths. She won all three of her Oaks preps starts and will likely be the odds favorite come race day.
The biggest shuffling in this week's rankings came in the 6-10 ranks. After this weekend's races, Broadway's Alibi and Karlovy Vary were added to the lists as top 10 contenders for the 2012 Kentucky Oaks®. Broadway's Alibi won by 3 1/2 lengths as an even money favorite in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct. This is her second Oaks prep victory and will give her strong consideration for the Kentucky Oaks®!
Karlovy Vary had the most impressive win of the weekend at Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes. She went off as the second longest shot on the board at 15-1, but lead most of the way for her biggest victory of her young career. Both horses are performing strong and should be serious contenders for next month's Kentucky Oaks®!
See the current odds on the Kentucky Oaks contenders»
See the Kentucky Oaks® prep race schedule»
About the Experts
John Asher joined Churchill Downs® in 1997 as a publicist and racing analyst, and moved to his current role as vice president of Racing Communications two years later.
Loren Hebel-Osborne maintains an active racing and breeding farm just outside of Louisville. She often serves as a guest speaker and racing analyst for schools, clubs, corporate events and local news stations WHAS-TV and WBKI’s “Louisville Live” for Kentucky Derby® and Breeders’ Cup coverage. Loren also spent 15 years with VISA where she was involved in all aspects of managing its sponsorship of the Triple Crown and the Kentucky Derby®.
Who is your favorite in this year's Kentucky Oaks? Share your thoughts below.
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