2026 Kentucky Oaks odds, horses, futures: Uncanny bettor releases picks, best bets

The 2026 Kentucky Oaks will get underway on Friday, May 1, from Churchill Downs at 8:40 p.m. ET. It will feature some of the best 3-year-old fillies around. It is also expected to be a tight field, with seven horses at 10-1 or lower. Zany is the 4-1 favorite, despite finishing second to Percy's Bar (6-1) at the Ashland Stakes earlier in April at Keeneland Race Course.

Among the other favorites include Meaning (5-1), Explora (6-1), Counting Stars (8-1), Prom Queen (8-1), Always a Runner (10-1) and Bella Ballerina (10-1). With the field in place, now is the perfect time to make 2026 Kentucky Oaks picks. Before making any 2026 Kentucky Oaks or Kentucky Derby picks for the annual Run for the Roses, you NEED to see what our resident horse racing guru, Jody Demling, has to say, given his historical DOMINATION of this race.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Derby-Oaks double 12 times in the last 17 years! He also nailed the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and nailed a $1,682 superfecta! Anyone who has followed him on those picks could be WAY UP! Join SportsLine here to see his picks for this year!

For the 2026 Kentucky Oaks, we can tell you Demling is fading Percy's Bar, even though she's at 6-1. Another stunner: Demling is high on Prom Queen, even though she's at 8-1. She "keeps getting better every time out," he says. See who he's picking this year!

Demling is also high on a double-digit longshot whose trainer "is super confident." He's including this horse in his 2026 Kentucky Oaks bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see his 2026 Kentucky Oaks picks before locking in any of your own!

Who wins the 2026 Kentucky Oaks, and which longshot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine RIGHT NOW to get Jody Demling's 2026 Kentucky Oaks projected leaderboard, all from the expert who has nailed a COLOSSAL 12 Derby-Oaks doubles! 

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Demling has hit 12 of the last 17 Oaks-Derby doubles and also nailed the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and had a $1,682 superfecta win! 

Here are Demling's picks (published 4/29) in order of projected finish! 

The Kentucky Derby is a tough race to handicap this year with a pretty equal field.

But Friday's Kentucky Oaks race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs might even be tougher. A field of 14 horses will go to post at 8:40 on Friday night, and the field is so balanced the morning-line odds have seven horses at 10-1 or shorter.

The favorite is the one low-priced horse that didn't win her last start. Zany is 4-1 after finishing second in the Ashland Stakes to Percy's Bar earlier this month at Keeneland Race Course.

Several of these horses can legitimately win the race and most likely you will get a decent price on them all.

Good luck!

Here's my rundown at the moment:

4 Counting Stars (8-1)
Trainer Mark Casse had to scratch his Derby entrant, Silent Tactic, but has a really good chance to win the Oaks. The daughter of Honor A.P. has been training well and physically looks impressive, and I am super high on her. She won the Fantasy Stakes by more than five lengths and has a win over the surface at Churchill Downs.

9 Always a Runner (10-1)
This daughter of Gun Runner has only run twice in her career, but trainer Chad Brown is super confident. She broke her maiden on first asking on Feb. 6 at Tampa and then won the Gazelle Stakes. She looks the part in the mornings.

5 Meaning (5-1)
The only loss on the résumé for this daughter of Gun Runner came in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She has won three races, including the Las Virgenes Stakes and the Santa Anita Oaks. She will be in a stalking position and get a good early run in.

2 Zany (4-1)
This daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will get a ton of play by the public. She's owned by billionaire Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher and comes in off a second in the Ashland Stakes. She'll run better here.

10 Prom Queen (8-1)
Trainer Brad Cox has won the Oaks three times and has a legit contender here. This daughter of Quality Road didn't race as a 2-year-old but has two wins and a third and keeps getting better every time out.

1 Explora (6-1)
Bob Baffert's filly has been favored in all seven races and won four times, while finishing second in the other three. She won the Honeybee Stakes in her last start and should be part of the early speed.

12 Bella Ballerina (12-1)
This daughter of Derby winner Street Sense is a half-sister to 2023 Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous. Bella Ballerina had won three straight to begin her career before a second in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

11 Percy's Bar (6-1)
She's a great story, named after Percy Pool, a beloved, long-time bartender at Keeneland and Churchill Downs who passed away in 2024. This daughter of Upstart won the Ashland Stakes in her only start as a 3-year-old. I just like others in here better.

3 Search Party (30-1)
The most experienced filly in the field, this Gun Runner filly has run eight times. She has two wins, two seconds and two thirds and comes in off a second in the Fantasy Stakes.

13 Pashmina (30-1)
I would be surprised if she's not near the front of the pack early. She has some speed, but there's a lot of it in here. I don't believe she will be able to last.

14 Brooklyn Blonde (30-1)
This daughter of Gun Runner should make an improvement after finishing second in the Santa Anita Oaks. The problem is she's going to really have to get a lot better.

15 Lovely Grey (30-1)
This Vekoma filly has only won one time in seven starts and that came in her second race. She was second in the Bourbonette Stakes at Turfway Park on the synthetic surface in her last outing.

7 Dazzling Dame (30-1)
This daughter of Girvin won four of her first five starts and then was second in the Virginia Oaks. She faces much tougher here and is likely near the front of the pack early but won't keep up.

16 Nycon (50-1)
A daughter of former Derby winner Nyquist, Nycon didn't get into the race until Wednesday. She's got a lot of improving to do after a fourth-place finish in the Gazelle Stakes.

8 Bottle of Rouge (15-1)
Scratched.

6 My Miss Mo (20-1)
Scratched.

Wagers
$10 Exacta 4 with 5,9 ($20)
$5 Exacta 5,9 with 4 ($10)
$1 Trifecta 4,5,9 with 4,5,9 with 1,2,4,5,9,10,12 ($30)
$1 Superfecta 4 with 5,9 with 1,2,5,9,10,12 with 1,2,5,9,10,12 ($40) 

Total: $100*

* Based on a $100 budget. Selections and wagers have been updated for scratches.

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