Experts’ Kentucky Oaks picks
Who’ll win the biggest races this weekend?
The Biz
May 1, 2026
Churchill Downs will host a bevy of Grade 1 races this weekend, topped, of course, by the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and the Kentucky Oaks on Friday. On Friday’s program, the Oaks is joined by the La Troienne as the two highest-level contests.
We asked our experts for their picks for the biggest races this weekend. Here’s what they came up with.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LA TROIENNE STAKES
Eleven fillies and mares will face the starter in the Grade 1 La Troienne, a 1 1/16-mile race with a $1 million purse.
It appears to be a wide-open contest with the Brian Lynch-trained Shred the Gnar the very lukewarm 3-1 morning line favorite. She won the Grade 3 Chilukki over the strip last November but most recently was up the track in the Grade 2 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park. Chad Brown counters with Fully Subscribed, a two-time graded winner.
The La Troienne is the 11th race on the card with a projected post of 6:56 p.m.
| Ted Black | Derby Bill Watson | Gary Quill | Joseph Aiello | Nick Hahn | |
| 1st | 9. Fully Subscribed | 9. Fully Subscribed | 9. Fully Subscribed | 5. Shred the Gnar | 7. Chasten |
| 2nd | 1. Bless the Broken | 8. Dry Powder | 11. Drexel Hill | 9. Fully Subscribed | 1. Bless the Broken |
| 3rd | 5. Shred the Gnar | 7. Chasten | 7. Chasten | 7. Chasten | 9. Fully Subscribed |
KENTUCKY OAKS
Grade 1 Ashland runner-up Zany is the 4-1 morning line favorite for this evening’s Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks at nine furlongs on the main track. She had won her first three starts prior to her second-place finish, at 3-5 odds, in the Ashland.
Others who figure to draw the betting public’s attention including Santa Anita Oaks winner Meaning, also 3-for-4 in her career and 5-1 on the morning line, and Ashland winner Percy’s Bar, who is 6-1.
The field also includes Maryland-bred Dazzling Dame (30-1). Four-for-six in her career, she is based at Laurel Park with trainer Brittany Russell.
| Ted Black | Derby Bill Watson | Gary Quill | Joseph Aiello | Nick Hahn | |
| 1st | 2. Zany | 9. Always a Runner | 9. Always a Runner | 5. Meaning | 10. Prom Queen |
| 2nd | 12. Bella Ballerina | 2. Zany | 1. Explora | 2. Zany | 1. Explora |
| 3rd | 1. Explora | 15. Lovely Grey | 5. Meaning | 8. Bottle of Rouge | 4. Counting Stars |
OUR HANDICAPPERS ARE:
- Gary Quill, co-host of Better Betting podcast and former The Racing Biz Maryland handicapper
- Derby Bill Watson, legendary former Colonial Downs on-air analylyst
- Joseph Aiello handicaps Saratoga for The Racing Biz.
- Ted Black is the Charles Town correspondent for The Racing Biz.
- Nick Hahn is the host of Off to the Races Radio, powered by The Racing Biz.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LATEST NEWS
