With 20 of the best three-year-old thoroughbreds in the world scheduled to run at the 2022 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, trainers are making final preparations for the 148th Run for the Roses. Epicenter had the most points from Kentucky Derby prep races of any horse in the 2022 Kentucky Derby field and he’s been trucked to Churchill Downs the last four Sundays to get familiar with the surface. Trainer Steve Asmussen is 0-for-23 at the Kentucky Derby but the winningest trainer in the history of North American horse racing has described Epicenter’s training sessions as “perfect.” With four wins in six starts and three stakes wins, Epicenter is 7-2 in the latest 2022 Kentucky Derby odds. He sits just behind Zandon (3-1) in the Kentucky Derby odds 2022, and both horses will have former Kentucky Derby winners in the mount, with Joel Rosario on Epicenter and Flavien Prat on Zandon. The 2022 Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET. With the Kentucky Derby 2022 featuring the largest field in North American racing, you’ll want to see what astute racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Kentucky Derby picks.
Few people in racing are as connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders’ Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
She also has tremendous handicapping chops. In the 2011 Kentucky Derby, she correctly tabbed Animal Kingdom to win at a hefty 21-1. In the 2017 Breeders’ Cup, she nailed 11-1 long shot Wuheida to win the Filly and Mare Turf. Last year in a wide-open Kentucky Derby, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1.
Since joining SportsLine in November, her picks have cashed in six of 12 races, including the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Anyone who has followed her is way up.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Kentucky Derby odds, made her picks and constructed her bets. Click here to see them.
Top 2022 Kentucky Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu is tossing Messier, even though he is one of the top 2022 Kentucky Derby favorites at 8-1. In fact, Yu says Messier barely cracks the top 10. A son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, Messier became one of the major 2022 Kentucky Derby contenders after he won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February by 15 lengths. For that performance, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 103, which is tied for the best in the 2022 Kentucky Derby field.
But Messier has lost twice as a heavy favorite, and Yu cannot trust him to run his best. “Messier comes into the Derby with a good record but is neither great nor infallible,” she told SportsLine.
Instead, Yu is high on Cyberknife, even though he is a 20-1 long shot. Brad Cox has quickly established himself as one of the top up-and-coming trainers in North American, winning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer with four Breeders’ Cup victories in 2020 and by guiding Mandaloun and Essential Quality to wins in Triple Crown races in 2021. With three entries in the 2022 Kentucky Derby lineup, he could be in line for another spectacular Triple Crown season.
“Owner Al Gold told me trainer Brad Cox changed Cyberknife’s bit for the last two races, and the switch has obviously helped. In the mornings, you wouldn’t know that this horse is a bad actor in the afternoons,” Yu told SportsLine. “He looks like a complete pro, and his last two works at Churchill Downs have been impressive both visually and on the clock. His pedigree is perfect, and he’s got a great story.”
How to make 2022 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Yu’s top pick is an overlooked horse who has the “speed to press and has top connections.” Yu is also high on an enormous long shot who is her “must-use-in-exotics horse.” She said this colt “has shown race after race that he belongs in the Kentucky Derby.” She is including these horses in her 2022 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2022 Kentucky Derby? Which enormous long shot is a must-back? Check out the Kentucky Derby odds 2022 below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who nailed last year’s winner on Derby Day.
