The brilliantly fast Forbidden Kingdom can prove that he can stretch his speed out to nine furlongs and be a major contender for the Kentucky Derby when he leaves the starting gate in the 2022 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday at Santa Anita Park. A son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Forbidden Kingdom has three wins, one second and one third in five career starts. He is coming off back-to-back frontrunning wins in the San Vicente and San Felipe Stakes, both at shorter distances. For Saturday's Santa Anita Derby 2022, Forbidden Kingdom is 6-5 in the 2022 Santa Anita Derby odds, just behind Messier, the even-money favorite in the six-horse 2022 Santa Anita Derby field.
Post time for the Santa Anita Derby 2022 is 5:45 p.m. ET. With very little separating the top two choices on Saturday, you'll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any Santa Anita Derby picks of your own.
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.
And since joining SportsLine in November, her picks have cashed in six of 12 races, including the exacta in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Santa Anita Derby lineup, made her picks and constructed her bets. You can only see them here.
Top 2022 Santa Anita Derby picks
One surprise: Yu is high on Taiba, even though he's an underdog and untested. An expensive $1.7 million purchase last year, Taiba is owned by Omar Zedan, the same person who owned Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first in last year's Kentucky Derby before being disqualified because of a positive post-race drug test. Taiba has run only once, winning his maiden race by 7 1/2 lengths on March 5.
That race, which earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure, is one of the fastest races any three-year-old in the country has run this year. "He could be an absolute freak," Yu told SportsLine. Yu is including Taiba prominently in her 2022 Santa Anita Derby betting strategy.
How to make 2022 Santa Anita Derby picks, bets
Yu's top pick is a horse who is "turning the mental corner at the perfect time and has talent to back it up." She also is high on a long shot who "has been training like a horse on the [rise]." She is including these horses in her 2022 Santa Anita Derby bets, and so should you. She's only sharing which horses to back at the Santa Anita Derby 2022 at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2022 Santa Anita Derby? What long shot is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Check out the latest Santa Anita Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Santa Anita Derby, and find out.
2022 Santa Anita Derby odds, horses, lineup
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Happy Jack | 20-1 | SEE PICKS HERE |
| 2 | Armagnac | 20-1 | SEE PICKS HERE |
| 3 | Forbidden Kingdom | 6-5 | SEE PICKS HERE |
| 4 | Messier | 1-1 | SEE PICKS HERE |
| 5 | Win the Day | 20-1 | SEE PICKS HERE |
| 6 | Taiba | 4-1 | SEE PICKS HERE |
