Wet Paint stands tall at the top level at the Kentucky Oaks 2023
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The best three-year-old fillies in the country line up Friday, May 6 for the 2023 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs! Whether you play the horses all the time or you are new to it, betting the Kentucky Oaks is one of the best wagering opportunities of the year due to the strong field size and the class of the contenders.
The Kentucky Oaks covers 1 ⅛ miles on the Churchill Downs dirt. The spoils are iconic: a $1.25 million purse, the blanket of lilies, and a spot on a winners’ list as long as the Kentucky Derby’s, since both races have been run every year since 1875! Keep on reading to find out your best bets in the Kentucky Oaks, and where to bet horse racing online.
Betting the Kentucky Oaks
If you are serious about maximizing your profit on the race, betting the Kentucky Oaks online is your best option. Betting online is convenient because you can do it from anywhere, and online sites also offer fixed-odds betting on major races, meaning you can lock in an overlay just by making a bet! Though there are many options for online betting, our expert betting site reviews are here to help you quickly and easily choose the best online racebook.
Our recommended betting sites also offer racebook bonuses that you’ll never find at the track. They include horse racing rebates, deposit bonuses, and even benefits just for signing up! Taking a few minutes now to read our reviews and see which site has the best bonuses for your betting style can mean hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars for your bankroll!
Kentucky Oaks Horses
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.
Remember that the morning line is just the track’s best guess for the prices on each horse, but they are no guarantee. You can lock in the best odds on your Kentucky Oaks horse by betting the race online!
The odds for leading Kentucky Oaks contenders at top online sportsbooks are below:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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, it is time to get to know the field for the Kentucky Oaks. This includes horses at every price point, to help you build the best exotic wagers for the race.
Kentucky Oaks Best Bet
Sometimes the favorite is the goods, and so it looks this year with Wet Paint. She has dominated the Oaklawn prep races for the Oaks, and that series has taken on an increased importance in recent years. She proved in the Fantasy (G3) that she could dazzle on a dry track, too…but all those wet-track victories before that look great since the Oaks likely turns up rainy.
Add to that the fact that her trainer Brad Cox has already won the Kentucky Oaks twice. Her pedigree looks strong for the mile and an eighth. And, even though she often closes from well off the pace, she can sit closer, as she did in the Martha Washington. All things considered, Wet Paint looks tough from a good middle draw.
Kentucky Oaks Contenders
Affirmative Lady tried Oaks preps while she was still a maiden last year, finishing a close second in the Demoiselle (G2) over a sloppy 1 ⅛-mile trip: a good sign given that she’s about to handle a wet nine furlongs in Kentucky. The possibility of ground loss from the 13 hole is a concern, but she has the speed to get a spot and she should get a clean trip.
Southlawn needs to prove she can handle Churchill Downs, as her two races in Louisville last year both showed her coming up flat. However, she is a much better horse at three than she was at age two, given her pair of blowout victories at Fair Grounds. Perhaps the fact that she is a better horse now means she can carry that form to the Oaks and make a good late run.
Kentucky Oaks Longshots
Promiseher America pulled a 26-1 surprise in the Gazelle (G3). It was a huge step forward from previous form: but, it was not only her first race in almost two months but also her first two-turn try. Being by American Pharoah out of an Unbridled Song mare, it is worth betting at a huge price that the real Promiseher America came out when she stretched out, making her an appealing Kentucky Oaks longshot.
Gambling Girl has only won against New York-breds, but she punched her ticket to Kentucky with a series of second- and third-place finished in nine-furlong points races. She’ll have to work a trip from a near-inside gate, but she is versatile and consistent enough to make sense in the underneath rungs of exotic tickets this time around, too.
Free Kentucky Oaks Expert Picks
Here are your free Kentucky Oaks expert picks for the 2023 Kentucky Oaks:
- $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
Kentucky Derby Undercard Picks
In addition to the Kentucky Oaks itself, the card on Friday, May 5 at Churchill Downs features six other major stakes races to bet. The undercard also features big fields and great betting opportunities, so be ready to place your bets! These are the best contenders in the undercard stakes on Kentucky Oaks day at Churchill Downs:
- $600,000 Alysheba Stakes (G2): #4 West Will Power
- $300,000 Modesty Stakes (G3): #7 Shantisara, #4 Sparkle Blue
- $500,000 Eight Belles Stakes (G2): #9 Munnys Gold
- $300,000 Unbridled Sidney Stakes: #11 Caravel, #8 Oeuvre
- $750,000 La Troienne Stakes (G1): #10 A Mo Reay, #4 Secret Oath, #9 Pauline’s Pearl
- $500,000 Edgewood Stakes (G2): #10 Flashy Gem, #3 Cairo Consort, #8 Heavenly Sunday
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