Oaklawn Park Picks for Oaklawn Handicap Day, 4/18/26

Key Takeaways:

• The headline clash in the 2026 Oaklawn Handicap brings together championship-level older horses returning from layoffs and testing new seasonal form, creating uncertainty that often opens the door to value elsewhere on the card.
• Weather and track conditions could play a meaningful role throughout the day at Oaklawn Park, placing extra emphasis on runners with proven off-track ability and tactical speed in sprint and middle-distance races.
• In the Bathhouse Row, lightly raced runners stretching out for the first time can take a forward step when pedigree and prior two-turn experience hint at added stamina, especially in fields without an established distance specialist.
• In the Valley of the Vapors, early speed remains a reliable advantage at one mile over this surface, particularly for fillies capable of either controlling the pace outright or maintaining position just off the lead.
• In conditioned sprint company, horses with strong local records and demonstrated success over wet tracks often hold a practical edge, as familiarity with the surface and distance can outweigh minor class shifts.

The most eagerly-awaited older-horse race of the spring happens Saturday, April 18, at Oaklawn Park. Horse of the Year Sovereignty, who hasn’t raced since winning the Travers (G1) last August at Saratoga, returns to the track for his four-year-old debut in the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap. He renews his rivalry against Journalism, who won the Preakness and was second to Sovereignty in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. And, both Sovereignty and Journalism test their skills in a field that features one of the most experienced and accomplished older horses in training – 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio.

Of course, the Oaklawn Handicap is just one of 12 races on Saturday’s card in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The card features two other stakes races, both of which feature three-year-olds who may be gearing up to face the top of the division later in the spring or summer: the 1 ⅛-mile Bathhouse Row Stakes for open sophomores and the one-mile Valley of the Vapors Stakes for sophomore fillies. The Bathhouse Row has the added excitement of offering its winner an automatic bid to the Preakness Stakes.

The action gets underway at 12:45 Central Daylight Time, and FanDuel TV will be there all day to show every race and keep you up-to-date with the latest news about Oaklawn Park, Keeneland, the Kentucky Derby field, and the whole world of horse racing. And, of course, you can get past performances and bet every race online with FanDuel. Don’t forget to check the scratches before you bet: there is a chance of rain on Saturday, which could lead to changes.

Oaklawn Picks and Best Bets

These are Oaklawn Park selections for Saturday’s Oaklawn Handicap card:

Race 6: Bathhouse Row Stakes, 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt - Royalamerican, Honey’s to Blame

FanDuel odds: 8-1 and 3-1

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A bid to the second jewel of the Triple Crown is at stake in the Bathhouse Row, which drew a well-matched field of eight horses all trying 1 ⅛ miles for the first time. Royalamerican (8-1) gets a class test, but has a lot to offer for the long price. Even though he was well beaten in his only try against horses bred outside of Oklahoma, he ran third behind Express Kid – a horse who held his own against Pavlovian next out in the Sunland Derby. Even though he hasn’t gone past a mile, he has a win at the two-turn mile at Remington and, being by Upstart out of a Creative Cause mare, he has enough in his pedigree to suggest he’ll come into his own at two turns. He has also shown he can rally into paces that are either quick or more relaxed, giving him the tactical options he needs from this outside gate. This seems like the right time to try a more ambitious spot with Royalamerican – and without a clear world-beater in this field, these are the right conditions.

Honey’s to Blame (3-1) just missed against older Arkansas-breds last out – though he steps back up to stakes company, he also drops back into straight sophomores instead of falling a neck short to a more experienced five-year-old like he did last out. He has already shown he can handle open company at Oaklawn Park – though the Rebel was too much, this is a softer set than that Kentucky Derby prep, and he won a first-level allowance against open three-year-olds at Oaklawn three starts back. He has enough stamina in his pedigree to be interesting at this 1 ⅛-mile distance, and a run back to that three-back effort should put him right in the mix.

Race 9: Valley of the Vapors Stakes, one mile on the dirt - Knickleandime, Sticker Shock

FanDuel odds: 5-2 and 9-5

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Front-end gas is your friend going a mile at Oaklawn Park, and Knickleandime (5-2) should get just that kind of a trip. She shapes as the speed of the speed, and showed last out that even with some company early, she can keep running and take advantage of her forward position. She should be able to make the front, especially from this clean outside gate, but she also showed in the Mockingbird back in January that she can stay interested if she doesn’t make the top, giving her another dimension to fall back on. She and jockey Rafael Bejarano have grown nice rapport in her last four starts, and this ungraded level is just the right one to keep her on the right track.

Sticker Shock (9-5) came up empty in the Fantasy (G2) last out, while facing legitimate Kentucky Oaks prospects, but should find herself in a better place at this level. She broke her maiden at second asking at Churchill Downs last autumn, leading at every call – but was able to win an allowance at Oaklawn Park in stalk-and-pounce fashion two back, showing that she has another way to win. That’s important, since she has a very good chance of getting outjumped to the lead by Knickleandime. A run back to that allowance victory two back makes her tough, and if she improves at all third off the lay – something very much in play for a Brad Cox trainee – she could very much run to the money.

Race 10: $40,000 conditioned starter allowance, six furlongs on the dirt - Devil’s Tower, Otto the Conqueror

FanDuel odds: 12-1 and 7-2

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Trainer Armando Hernandez has a pair of interesting horses in here. Goodasiwonswas rides a two-win streak, with some tactical speed and some off-track form, but the question is whether a horse is going to move up or even hold form after being claimed out of the barn of Mike Maker. Jockey David Cohen, who is running 0-for-34 on the meet, also raises some questions. More interesting from Hernandez’s shedrow is Devil’s Tower (12-1), the longer price on the morning line. With some rain in the forecast, Devil’s Tower’s off-track record jumps out: in ten starts, he has seven wins and two seconds to show for it. He has eight wins in 19 starts at Oaklawn Park as well, an appealing ratio. The class move is nice, as well – he drops from a long string of allowance- and stakes-level starts, but remains protected under the starter condition. He’s a six-furlong specialist with tactical speed from an outside gate, and he will find his friends at a price here.

Otto the Conqueror (7-2) has won for claiming tags in his last two starts, $40,000 at Saratoga last July and then $62,500 when he returned last out over this course and distance. He takes a logical and confidence-inducing step up to starter company for this. He has been able to handle relatively inside posts, suggesting the rail could be fine, and he has the versatility to battle on the pace, press it, or legitimately stalk the pace and still run a winning race. He is also able to handle a wet track, a positive given the weather – he has two wins and a second in five starts over a wet track, including a stakes victory at Remington late in his two-year-old year.

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