Last Samurai will attempt to become just the third horse to win the Oaklawn Handicap twice when he leaves the starting gate in the 2024 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. The 6-year-old son of Malibu Moon won the Oaklawn Handicap in 2022 and finished second by a head last year. With a win on Saturday he would join Styrunner (1957 and '59) and Gay Revoke (1964 and '65) as the only two-time winners of the race. Last Samurai is a 20-1 longshot in the 2024 Oaklawn Handicap odds. Meanwhile Skippylongstocking is the 3-1 morning-line favorite, while Red Route One is the 7-2 second choice in the odds in the 11-horse Oaklawn Handicap 2024 field. Reincarnate (4-1) rounds out the top three choices on the odds board.
Post time for the $1.3 million race is 6:52 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2024 Oaklawn Handicap picks.
A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team since 2017, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014 and an $18,000 Pick 5 at Tampa Bay Downs earlier this month.
In April of last year, he hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park for $641, the exacta in the Florida Derby, a Pick 5 at Keeneland and the exacta in the Lexington Stakes. He smashed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes for $532.96, and later in June he crushed a Pick 4 at Belmont for $555. Those were just some of his scores from 2023.
For Saturday, he has handicapped the 2024 Oaklawn Handicap lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Oaklawn Handicap predictions
One surprise: Weir is staying away from Skippylongstocking. A son of 2016 Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, Skippylongstocking is best known for winning the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in August. He enters Saturday as the 3-1 morning-line favorite.
Skippylongstocking is coming off a win in the Grade 3 Challenger Stakes, but Weir was unimpressed by that performance, which earned a modest 90 Beyer Speed Figure despite the horse being asked to run. "He might be losing a step as a 5-year-old," Weir told SportsLine. Weir is using eight horses in his wagers, but Skippylongstocking is not one of them. You can see all of Weir's 2024 Oaklawn Handicap bets here.
How to make 2024 Oaklawn Handicap picks
Moreover, Weir is high on a big double-digit longshot who "loves Oaklawn." Weir is including this horse in his 2024 Oaklawn Handicap bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Oaklawn Handicap 2024, and what double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Oaklawn Handicap odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for the Oaklawn Handicap, all from the horse racing insider who has had multiple five-figure days at the track and just hit an $18,000 payday, and find out.
2024 Oaklawn Handicap odds, contenders
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highland Falls | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Double Crown | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Magic Tap | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Octane | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Red Route One | 7-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Reincarnate | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Guntown | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Last Samurai | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | County Final | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 10 | Skippylongstocking | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 11 | Instant Coffee | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
