Kentucky Derby Odds: Joyful Victory Morning Line Favorite In Kentucky Oaks

Added on May 03, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

Horse Racing

The field has been set for the Kentucky Derby and its distaff counterpart the Kentucky Oaks, and the ‘morning line’ odds are being released as we speak. The first order of business is setting the field and the odds for Friday’s big race for three year old fillies, the Kentucky Oaks. After that, the start positions will be set for the ‘Run For The Roses’ and the first Kentucky Derby betting odds released by Churchill Downs’ oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

In the Kentucky Oaks, the favorite is Joyful Victory at 5-2. She’s looked dominant in her last two starts, winning the Oakland Park Grade 3 Honeybee and the Grade 2 Fantasy. She’ll go to battle against 12 other three year old females in arguably the most prestigious event of the year for the equine version of the ‘fairer sex’. Second choice in the field will be Zazu and Kathmanblu, who are both 4-1. Plum Pretty and Summer Soiree are up next at odds of 5-1.

The full field odds are as follows:

Joyful Victory (Mike Smith, 5-2), Lilacs and Lace (Javier Castellano, 12-1), Summer Soiree (Gabriel Saez, 5-1),Kathmanblu (Julien Leparoux, 4-1), Suave Voir Faire (Miguel Mena, 50-1), Zazu (Joel Rosario, 4-1), Her Smile (Garrett Gomez, 20-1), Bouquet Booth (Robby Albarado, 20-1), Daisy Devine (James Graham, 20-1), Street Storm (Shaun Bridgmohan, 50-1),Holy Heavens (Kent Desormeaux, 50-1), Plum Pretty (Martin Garcia, 5-1) and St. John’s River (Rosie Napravnik, 30-1).

The list above is also the starting order for the Kentucky Oaks, moving from the inside rail assignment to the race favorite Joyful Victory and moving outward to St. John’s River on the far outside. This year’s Kentucky Oaks is the 137th running of the race and for the first time will offer a purse of $1,000,000 dollars. It’ll be the main event of a 12 race program at Churchill Downs on Friday beginning at 7:30 AM Pacific. The Oaks will be the 11th race on the card with a scheduled post time of 2:45 PM Pacific. Television coverage in the US will be provided by the VERSUS cable network with an airtime of 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Pacific. Like the Kentucky Derby, the Oaks should be a wide open event without a clear cut favorite. There’s only two Grade 1 stakes winners in the field of 13–Zazu and Lilacs and Lace.