Speed is the theme of the biggest horse race of the year for three-year-old fillies, the 2019 Kentucky Oaks. At least three entrants in the 14-horse 2019 Kentucky Oaks lineup prefer to race on the lead, which could mean a speed duel in the 1 1/8-mile race on Friday at Churchill Downs. Bellafina, who prefers to run towards the front, is the 2-1 favorite in the current 2019 Kentucky Oaks odds, but the worst start of her career came at Churchill Downs, a fourth in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Post time for the 2019 Kentucky Oaks is 6:12 p.m. ET. With Bellafina's lone start at Churchill Downs being a dud, you'll want to hear what SportsLine's Jody Demling has to say before making any 2019 Kentucky Oaks picks of your own for Friday's signature race.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling is riding an impressive handicapping hot streak. In the last month, he hit the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes, winning $408.38 on a $38.40 investment, and also won the exacta and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial on the same day.

Those picks continued Demling's astonishing start to 2019, in which he also nailed the superfecta at the prestigious Pegasus World Cup -- a $678 payout on a $1 bet -- and the superfecta at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. 

Plus, he's hit nine of the last 10 Oaks-Derby doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he's held a ticket with the winners of both high-profile Churchill Downs races all but once in the last decade. Anyone who has followed him is way up. 

Now, Demling has analyzed the 2019 Kentucky Oaks field and released where he believes every horse will finish. 

We can tell you Demling wants no part of Champagne Anyone, one of the top 2019 Kentucky Oaks favorites at 6-1. In fact, Demling says Champagne Anyone barely cracks the top 10. Trained by Ian Wilkes, the filly is coming of a win in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. However, she was the beneficiary of a perfect trip that day and likely won't get the same friendly run in the 14-horse 2019 Kentucky Oaks lineup on Friday. Her close-to-the-pace running style is not a good fit in a race that features plenty of early speed.

In addition, in Champagne Anyone's only race at Churchill Downs, the Golden Rod in November, she finished a distant fourth. That was her worst finish in seven career starts.

Another surprise: Demling is high on Liora, a long shot at 20-1 in the current 2019 Kentucky Oaks odds. Trained by Wayne Catalano, the daughter of Candy Ride is a perfect 2-for-2 on the Churchill Downs dirt. One of those wins was a victory in the Golden Rod over fellow one of the other 2019 Kentucky Oaks contenders, Restless Rider. 

Liora is winless in three starts since the Golden Rod, but hasn't run poorly in any of those races. In her last two starts, she finished second to Serengeti Empress and Street Band, who are both in the 2019 Kentucky Oaks field. And since Liora's last race, a runner-up finish in the Fair Grounds Oaks, she has trained like a horse sitting on a big performance. On April 17, she worked five furlongs in 59.6 seconds, the fastest at that distance that day. In addition, she prefers to run off the pace, which should benefit her given all of the early speed horses in the Kentucky Oaks 2019.

Demling is especially high on a monumental long shot that would net any backer a colossal windfall. He is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine. 

Which horse wins the Kentucky Oaks? And what huge long shot does Demling say contends? Check out the latest Kentucky Oaks odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Kentucky Oaks.

Bellafina (2-1)
Champagne Anyone (6-1)
Restless Rider (6-1)
Jaywalk (8-1)
Serengeti Empress (8-1)
Jeltrin (15-1)
Motion Emotion (15-1)
Out for a Spin (15-1)
Street Band (15-1)
Chocolate Kisses (20-1)
Flor de La Mar (20-1)
Lady Apple (20-1)
Liora (20-1)
Positive Spirit (30-1)