2026 Kentucky Oaks picks: Predictions, preview, best bets for Fridays headliner at Churchill Downs

Much like its big brother on Saturday, Friday’s Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs projects to be wide open.Mike Repole’s Zany, which drew into the No.2 spot, is the lukewarm favorite at 4-1, but the oddsmakers don’t see much of a difference between her and the chasing pack.

There were three other horses, No.5 Meaning (5-1), No.

1 Explora (6-1), and No.11 Percy’s Bar (6-1), right behind Zany on the morning line, and three more, No.

4 Counting Stars (8-1), No.10 Prom Queen (8-1), and No.

9 Always A Runner (10-1), right behind that trio.With half the field between 4-1 and 10-1, you could make a case for this race to go in a million different directions.That should create some great betting opportunities on Friday.Given how this race sets up, it makes a lot of sense to fade Zany if Mike Repole’s filly holds as the favorite.It’s nothing against the horse or its connections, but all about the situation.

Let’s use Zany, who is 4-1 on the morning line, and No.10 Prom Queen (8-1), for example.In a vacuum, Zany is the better horse on paper.

But when you throw in all the unique circumstances of the Kentucky Oaks, the distance, the strength of the field, and the inherent unpredictability of a race with this many entrants, the playing field naturally gets leveled.When you consider all of that, and you’re staring down one horse at 4-1 and another really strong contender at 8-1, you’re going to give a lot of consideration to the chunkier price.You can apply this logic to about a half-dozen horses in this field.Every once in a while, a horse will capture the betting public’s imagination, and that seems to be happening with Lovely Grey.A 30-1 also-eligible on the morning line, Lovely Grey got into the field when Bottle of Rouge scratched.

It didn’t take long for money to pour in on Portnoy’s filly.By midday Thursday, the updated odds had Lovely Grey tracking at 6-1, which would make her one of the favorites.With Lovely Grey taking so much of the bettin...