Nest and Secret Oath, the two best three-year-old fillies in the country, will show down Saturday, August 20, at Saratoga for the Alabama Stakes! These two stars, and five other fillies trying to take their places at the top of the division, will go 1 ¼ miles over the dirt at the Spa. At stake are a purse of $600,000 and the catbird seat in the race for the champion sophomore filly.
This race is one of the top betting horse races of the summer, thanks to the quality of runners. Recent winners of Alabama include champions Malathaat, Swiss Skydiver, and Songbird. The winners are a series of champions, top-class racemares who remain important all year long. Who will add her name to this excellent list? Keep reading to find out!
Where to Bet the Alabama Stakes
Even though visiting Saratoga for Alabama is a great time, not everyone can travel from California to New York. Fortunately, you can enjoy all the thrills of the race by wagering at a recommended California racebook. For the Alabama races all year long, our recommended sites offer trusted deposits and cash-outs, great user interfaces, and market-leading odds.
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Alabama Stakes Contenders
Now that you have your sportsbook account set up, it is time to meet the field for Alabama.
2022 Alabama Stakes Field
This is the official field for the 2022 Alabama Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Skratch Kat (Philip Bauer/Julien Leparoux) – 30/1
- Goddess of Fire (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) – 20/1
- Gerrymander (Chad Brown/Joel Rosario) – 7/2
- Nest (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) – 1/2
- Nostalgic (Bill Mott/Jose Ortiz) – 12/1
- She’s Keen (Rusty Arnold/Jose Lezcano) – 30/1
- Secret Oath (D. Wayne Lukas/Luis Saez) – 4/1
Keep in mind that the morning line is the track’s best guess for what the odds will be at post time. However, you are not guaranteed to get these odds since on-track odds fluctuate until the race. Your best bet in the Alabama Stakes is to bet the race online! Not only do our recommended racebooks let you bet from anywhere, but they let you lock in the best odds the moment you place your bet.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nest | -200 | -200 | -200 |
| Gerrymander | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Secret Oath | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Nostalgic | +1300 | +1300 | +1300 |
| Goddess of Fire | +2100 | +2100 | +2100 |
Alabama Stakes Favorites
The horse to beat in the 2022 Alabama is Nest. She won the Coaching Club American Oaks with aplomb, showing she is in excellent form and can handle the Saratoga surface. She ran well enough at the even longer distance of the Belmont, against males, to think this mile and a quarter will suit well. And, with tactical speed, she should be able to work out a good trip near the front.
The two other major contenders are Secret Oath and Gerrymander. Between the two, Gerrymander interests a bit more. She is already a winner at Saratoga, having broken her maiden there last year. She won the Mother Goose impressively in her first two-turn start, has tactical speed, and being an Into Mischief half-to marathon star Lone Rock she has serious upside stretching out.
Though Secret Oath is a talented filly, this looks like the spot to take a stand against. she may well be at her best going a little shorter than this, and she also does better from off the pace than on it. She runs her better races against classy horses when she can rally into a sharp pace in front of her, and that is probably not the setup she gets in this race.
Interesting Longshots
Among the longshots, the one who intrigues most is the one step up from the maiden company; She’s Keen. The daughter of stamina-laden Keen Ice ran a good third in a maiden race at 1 3/16 miles two starts back and then graduated last out going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga. So, she can handle the course, and she has been improving with distance, two things that are important going the classic distance at the Spa.
Specifically, this field of only seven is not laden with horses who really do their best going out to the lead. Perhaps Goddess of Fire, who adds blinkers, may try to be up there — and if she does, she may hang around for a piece for top-notch Alabama Stakes connections. It is a concern that Goddess of Fire’s pedigree reads very middle-distance, but is a versatile filly who likes the Spa.
But, back to She’s Keen: this longshot is the truest speed horse in the field, and she is probably the one the rest will have to try to catch. Especially if the track is playing strongly for speed, which often happens on big race days, she could play catch-me-if-you-can at a huge price. She may not be good enough to win, but a pace advantage could get her a piece of the exotics.
Alabama Stakes Free Bets
Now that you have set up your online betting account and gotten to know the field for the race, it is time for the best part: placing your wagers! Here are your best bets for the 2022 Alabama Stakes:
- $20 to win – #4 Nest
- $1 exacta key – #4 Nest over #3 Gerrymander and #6 She’s Keen
- $0.50 trifecta key – #4 Nest over #2 Goddess of Fire, #3 Gerrymander, and #6 She’s Keen
