2022 Kentucky Derby odds, top predictions: Expert who called last year’s Derby Day winner unveils picks

The 2022 Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Down and kick off horse racing’s Triple Crown schedule. The world’s top three-year-olds will meet under the twin spires, and the Steve Asmussen-trained Epicenter is the 2022 Kentucky Derby favorite, fetching 5-1 in the latest 2022 Kentucky Derby odds. Epicenter won the Louisiana Derby and Risen Star Stakes, cementing himself near the top of the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby standings following a season of competitive Kentucky Derby prep races. 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 Smile Happy, even though he is one of the top 2022 Kentucky Derby favorites at 6-1. Trained by Ken McPeek, Smile Happy has two wins and one second in three career starts. He finished second to Epicenter in the Risen Star Stakes in February, three months after winning the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, the same track that will host the Kentucky Derby 2022.

“I see how the handicappers think this horse is sneaky because of his Risen Star Stakes performance,” Yu told SportsLine. “Smile Happy was closing at the end of that race after encountering mild traffic. I think the appearance that Smile Happy was gaining on Epicenter at the end of the Risen Star was because Epicenter was geared down and not because Smile Happy was bearing down on the winner.”

How to make 2022 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Instead Yu is high on four horses, including an enormous long shot you need to see. Yu says if you’re not convinced on this long shot’s ability to pull an epic upset, “go check out the replay of his maiden score.” She is including this horse 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.

2022 Kentucky Derby odds, horses, futures