2022 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Betting Odds and Contenders Preview
Nations Pride and Classic Causeway will face off once again in Saturday’s Caesars Jockey Club Derby (G3) at Aqueduct closing out the Caesars Turf Triple. Classic Causeway got away easy in the Belmont Derby, but Nations Pride evened the score by winning the G1 Saratoga Derby.
While the Jockey Club Derby’s longer, mile-and-a-half distance could possibly work against a front-runner like Classic Causeway, the fact that there are only five competitors in the final leg of the Ceasers Turf Triple means the fractions should be easier on Saturday than they were in the second leg at Saratoga.
As a result of renovations at Belmont Park, racing has been rescheduled to Aqueduct, where the Derby will be run around three turns. The purse for the Jockey Club Derby is $1 million with $535,000 to the winner who will also get an automatic berth to the November Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Don't get stuck at the gate when the Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes kicks off! Read on for stakes information, odds, contenders, prep results, as well as past winners and past performances.
Jockey Club Derby Stakes Information
Race Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Track: Aqueduct, New York
Post Time: 5:45 p.m. Eastern time
Distance: 1 ½ miles on turf
Age/Sex: 3 years old
Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing
Jockey Club Derby Odds
The field for the Jockey Club Derby drew Wednesday, September 14, with morning lines assigned on Thursday. Though the morning line does not decide the final price, it is a good indicator of which horses will be favorites and who will be long shots in the field. It is still a good idea to keep an eye on the odds as post time draws closer to make smarter bets on race day.
This is the field for the 2022 Jockey Club Derby including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classic Causeway | Ken McPeek | Flavien Prat | 2-1 |
| 2 | Wicked Fast | Joe Sharp | Irad Ortiz Jr | 15-1 |
| 3 | Nations Pride (IRE) | Charlie Appleby | Lanfranco Dettori | 1-1 |
| 4 | The Grey Wizard (IRE) | Graham Motion | Luis Saez | 8-1 |
| 5 | Daunt | Robert Ribaudo | Javier Castellano | 15-1 |
| 6 | Ardakan | Markus Klug | Andrasch Starke | 4-1 |
If a horse you think will be a very short prince is instead cold on the board, you can assess whether you are getting value or whether there is a reason they may run underneath form. For example, you identify a horse you believe has a strong probability of winning, but the live odds or morning-line odds do not reflect this. Finding a horse with a 15% to 20% probability of winning the race means you will get a 15-1 or a 20-1 outcome if your bet wins, which is fantastic value.
In short, horse racing is a game of information. So, keep watching FanDuel TV and TVG.com for the latest news and odds, and you can make the smartest bets on the Jockey Club Derby.
Jockey Club Derby Prep Results
The Jockey Club Derby attracted a much smaller field of six to go 1 1/2 miles—the longest race in the turf series. Classic Causeway is the lone pace on paper, but the Jockey Club Derby could turn out to be another tactical affair. Surprise winner of the Belmont Derby at 26-1 in wire-to-wire fashion in what was his turf debut, he finished third in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) to Double Thunder and Rattle N Roll. However, the next month he lost to Smile Happy coming in second in the Kentucky Jockey Club S (G2).
Godolphin homebred, Nations Pride, rebounded from a second-place finish in the Belmont Derby (G1) under Dettori to capture the Saratoga Derby (G1) by 1 3/4 lengths when ridden by William Buick.
Another European raider is German-based Ardakan who is trained by Markus Klug. Ardakan won the Italian Derby (G2) in Rome back in May but was less effective in the German Derby (G2) in July, coming in eighth. More recently, Ardakan finished a decent third against older contenders in last month’s Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1).
Jockey Club Derby Contenders
Classic Causeway: Classic Causeway made his career debut on September 4, 2021, in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga. He did not enter the race with grand expectations going off at 13.60-1. Still, setting the early pace, he secured an impressive win with a commanding 6 1/2-length victory. The two-year-old Chestnut colt is a Kentucky West Racing LLC and Clarke M. Cooper homebred. His dam, Private World was a two-time stakes winner and the daughter of 1995 Derby and Belmont S winner, Thunder Gulch.
Wicked Fast: Rounding out the field is Bay Gelding, Wicked Fast, who was claimed for $35,000 last out by owner-trainer Joe Sharp from a second-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile turf tilt. In a maiden win for Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, Wicked Fast sports a record of 8-2-2-2 at Belmont, from which he was haltered for $50,000. He has an allowance score for conditioner Jorge Abreu in June traveling nine furlongs over yielding Belmont green. The son of Wicked Charm is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning champion, English Channel.
Nations Pride (IRE): Teofilo colt, Nations Pride, was bred in Ireland by owner Godolphin. After winning two of three starts in 2021 at the age of two, he emerged as a top international turf three-year-old in 2022. He kicked off the year with a win in an allowance event in Dubai whereafter he took a listed stakes at Newbury in England before trying the Cazoo English Derby, finishing eighth. Nations Pride is out of stakes-winning Oasis Dream mare, Important Time while his granddam is Group 1 winner Satwa Queen.
The Grey Wizard (IRE): Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Albert Frassetto’s The Grey Wizard graduated in March traveling 10 furlongs over the Dundalk synthetic. The son of Caravaggio finished third in a course Barrier Trial last September. The following month he was twelfth out of 16 in a Navan maiden and opened a 5/1 chance.
Daunt: Stakes-placed Kentucky homebred Daunt will make his second attempt in graded company. Trained by Robert Ribaudo, he finished third in the Awad in November closing out his juvenile campaign. The dark bay Nyquist colt finished a close fifth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Pennine Ridge in June at Belmont.
Ardakan: The most captivating runner in the race this weekend is undoubtedly German-trained Ardakan. The British-bred horse won the G2 Italian Derby earlier in the campaign before he performed superbly to finish third in the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. This is a remarkable target for the three-year-old and a strong bid is expected from this contender although the win may be just a little too far away.
Jockey Club Derby Past Winners Past Performances
In 2021, seven entrants competed in the Derby with Godolphin's British-bred gelding coming out Yibir victorious. In his next start, Yibir won the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar Racetrack and won the Eclipse Award for US Champion Male Turf Horse.
Overall, the Europeans dominated the Turf Trinity, winning the first two legs and the inaugural Jockey Club Derby on September 8, last year. Yibir, Bolshoi Ballet, and Tokyo Gold were the horses to beat along with Soldier Rising, who made his first American start for Christophe Clement in the Saratoga Derby.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was not renewed in 2020. But American-bred and England-based, Spanish Mission, won the inaugural running on September 8, 2019, defeating eight other entrants winning by the shortest of margins and a nose over the French-bred Pedro Cara. Irish-bred San Huberto came in third.
Among the American runners, Tango Tango Tango had a noteworthy second in the Bruce D at Arlington Park while Slicked Back finished second after overcoming traffic problems in the Virginia Derby.
Jockey Club Derby Undercard
The Jockey Club Derby is slated as race 10 on an 11-race card that begins and includes the Grade 3, $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. Tune in any time of the day on FanDuel TV and place your bets at TVG or FanDuel!
Aqueduct Racetrack
Colloquially known as the Big A, Aqueduct Racetrack opened on September 27, 1894, on property that originally belonged to the old Brooklyn Water Works. It is the only racetrack in New York City and occupies 210 acres in South Ozone Park in the borough of Queens. Aqueduct is eight miles from its sister track, Belmont Park.
Through the years, the Big A has been the scene of some of racing's landmark events such as the only triple dead heat in stakes history when Brownie, Bossuet, and Wait a Bit hit the wire as one in the Carter Handicap on June 10, 1944. Man o' War, Sword Dancer, Kelso, Buckpasser, Dr. Fager, Secretariat, Forego, Easy Goer, and Smarty Jones became legendary at Aqueduct while Cigar—for whom the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile is named—won the first two races of his 16-race winning streak at Aqueduct.
Aqueduct was a popular racetrack for many famous champions in the 1960s and early 1970s. This included many Hall of Famers including Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus, Dr. Fager, Secretariat, and Forego. Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew raced there twice and won the Wood Memorial and Stuyvesant Handicap.
The main track (dirt) has a circumference of 11⁄8 miles. Inside the main track are two courses: the 1-mile Main Turf Course, and the Inner Turf Course measuring 7.065 furlongs.
Jockey Club Derby FAQ
Q: When is the Jockey Club Derby?
A: Saturday, September 17, 2022, at 5:45 p.m. Eastern time
Q: Where is the Jockey Club Derby?
A: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park in the borough of Queens
Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Jockey Club Derby?
A: No trainer has won the event more than once
Q: Who is the favorite for the Jockey Club Derby?
A: Nations Pride, going out for Appleby and Dettori, is the top selection.
Q: Who won the Jockey Club Derby in 2021?
A: Godolphin's British-bred gelding, Yibir, won the 2021 race.
