Horse betting fans were planning on handicapping the oversized 20-horse field for the 2020 Kentucky Derby heading into the first Saturday in May. The coronavirus health crisis ruined those plans with the annual Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs pushed back until the first Saturday in September.
Kentucky Derby Prep Races
As one of the biggest Kentucky Derby prep races, the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby was also pushed back from its early April timeframe to help fill the void.
As an added betting bonus for this year’s event, the oversized field of 22 entries has been split in half with two individual divisions of the $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday’s Oaklawn race card. Each race will offer $500,000 and qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.
This weekend’s horse betting action at Oaklawn Park gets an early start with the running of the Arkansas Breeders’ Stakes as one of the featured races on Friday afternoon’s card.
Friday, May 1
Arkansas Breeders’ Stakes
This ungraded stakes race is open to three-year old thoroughbreds and older. It will be contested on the dirt track at Oaklawn covering a total distance of 1 1/16 miles.
This race is also expected to have a full field of 11 entries as one of the highlighted races on Friday afternoon.
The one to watch could be Souixper Charger. Trained by Dan Peitx and ridden by Martin Garcia, this four-year old Arkansas-bred colt has the home-track advantage after winning a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at Oaklawn on Jan. 25.
Saturday, May 2
Arkansas Derby- Division 1
The first of two main events on Saturday’s card should be a good one. Contested over 1 1/16 miles on dirt, the winner of this division will immediately be viewed as one of the top contenders to win September’s Kentucky Derby.
The morning line favorite should be famed trainer Bob Baffert’s Nadal. The main reason this three-year old Kentucky-bred colt tops the list is his recent victory at Oaklawn in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on March 14. He covered the 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:44.97 past Excession and Basin. This left him a perfect three-for-three this year after winning a pair of races at Santa Anita. Veteran jockey Joel Rosario is expected to get the ride.
Arkansas Derby 2019 (FULL RACE) | Road to the Kentucky Derby | NBC Sports
Another top contender to watch in this race is Storm The Court. Trained by Peter Eurton and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, this son of Court Vision is coming off a third place finish in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.Editor’s Choice: Are Pay Per Head Bookie Services Legal?
Arkansas Derby- Division 2
The second division of this year’s Arkansas Derby is headlined by Baffert’s Charlatan as another top favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.
This Kentucky-bred three year old is looking to stay perfect in his early career after winning a pair of races at Santa Anita during the winter. He will break from the No. 1 post on Saturday with jockey Martin Garcia getting the ride.
The strongest competition could come from trainer Todd Pletcher’s Gouverneur Morris, who has the highest Horse Racing Nation rating in the field at 6.76. He is coming off a disappointing fourth-place finish in this year’s Grade 1 Florida Derby to break a string of three-straight finishes in the money. Veteran jockey John Velazquez is back on the mount for Saturday’s run.
