Superstars Headline Kentucky Derby Undercard

The Kentucky Derby undercard is always packed with fantastic racing and the big stars have come out to play.

Races such as the Churchill Downs Stakes, Derby City Distaff and Pat Day Mile grace the card and horse racing odds are available for every race.

We look at the three main undercard races and pick our best horse racing bets.

Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Kentucky Derby odds for Kentucky Derby 2022. We’ve plenty of Kentucky Derby betting predictions for you to consider.

Race: Kentucky Derby
Location: Churchill Downs
Day/Post Time: Saturday, May 7. 6:57 ET (Race 12)
Kentucky Derby Live Stream: NBC

Churchill Downs Stakes

We have always been a big fan of Jackie’s Warrior and the 4-year-old colt is our pick to win the Churchill Downs Stakes.

The son of Maclean’s Music bounced back to his best form in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap following a disappointing effort in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint behind Aloha West.

Jackie’s Warrior won the Pat Day Mile on this day last year and he’s unbeaten in two starts at Churchill Downs, so there is a strong reason why he’s the current sportsbook favorite.

Aloha West could have a say. The son of Hard Spun hasn’t raced since winning the Breeders’ Cup, but he has always raced well fresh up and he’s a class act.

Aloha West is a four-time winner from eight starts and winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint isn’t easy, so it wasn’t a fluke performance.

Bookmakers are keeping him safe in the betting markets and he could firm on race day.

It’s a competitive affair for the $750,000 Churchill Downs Stakes, but our top pick is Jackie’s Warrior to remain unbeaten on the track.

Pick: Jackie’s Warrior +250

Derby City Distaff

Another competitive field lines up in the Derby City Distaff where six of the eight runners are listed at single-figure odds.

Headlining the seven-furlong race is Just One Time and Obligatory. Just One Time is the current favorite at +300 and the 4-year-old filly has every chance of winning.

The Brad Cox-trained daughter of Not This Time owns three wins from four starts, including a last-start win in the Grade I Madison over Bell’s the One and Kimari.

She faces many of those rivals in the Derby City Distaff and there is no reason why she can’t repeat that performance.

Betting online markets are offering generous odds for the professional filly and she is the testing material.

Looking to run her down will be Bell’s the One, who is a course specialist at Churchill Downs. She owns four wins and three placings from eight starts on the track, so her experience could see her turning the tables on Just One Time.

The 6-year-old has 23 starts under her belt, including a win in the 2020 Derby City Distaff. She finished fourth in this race last year and her form has been excellent since.

Bell’s the One has won three of her five subsequent starts and she is a strong quinella chance with the favorite.

We expect the Grade I Madison result to stack up well and they could have the race between themselves on Saturday, but Just One Time is our top pick.

Pick: Just One Time +300

Pat Day Mile

Much of the early betting money on Kentucky Derby Day has been for Jack Christopher, who is favored to win the Pat Day Mile.

The 3-year-old colt bypassed the Kentucky Derby and had a break after winning on debut by 8¾ lengths before winning the Grade I Champagne Stakes by 2¾ lengths.

We believe he’s one of the best age-group runners in the country and he could contest much bigger races in the coming months.

Trained by Chad Brown, the Coolmore Stud-raced colt returns from injury and we’re excited to see what he can deliver.

“Of course, I would have rather gotten the horse started a little earlier in the year to see where he could take us on the Derby trail, but it wasn’t to be,” Brown told Daily Racing Form.

“Throwing him in a stakes race like this off the layoff is challenging, but he’s a super-talented horse. I like the distance of the race, I like the fact he’s against his own age group. He handled the mile in the Champagne just fine.”

Bookmakers have Jack Christopher at +200 and that’s a value price. Coming off an injury-enforced layoff isn’t easy, but this colt could be well above average.