The 2026 Kentucky Oaks will get underway on Friday, May 1, from Churchill Downs at 8:40 p.m. ET on what is forecasted to be a cool and dry evening. 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!
