The road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby winds through the Southwest on Sunday when eight hopefuls leave the starting gate in the 2022 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park. The Sunland Derby 2022 awards qualification points to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 basis, essentially guaranteeing the winner a berth in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 7. Sunday’s 1 1/8-mile race has drawn a well balanced field, as four horses are bunched near the top of the 2022 Sunland Derby odds board: Slow Down Andy (2-1), Straight Up G (5-2), Classic Moment (7-2) and Bye Bye Bobby (9-2).
Post time for the Sunland Derby 2022 is 7:15 p.m. ET. With a balanced field entering the starting gate on Sunday, you’ll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2022 Sunland Derby picks.
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 nine races, including the exacta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic for $260.80.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2022 Sunland Derby horses, made her picks and constructed her bets. You can only see them here.
Top 2022 Sunland Derby predictions
One surprise: Yu is completely fading Slow Down Andy, even though he is the top favorite at 2-1. Bred and owned by two-time Kentucky Derby-winning owner J. Paul Reddam, Slow Down Andy closed out his two-year-old season with a win in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December. In that race, he upset the highly-regarded, Bob Baffert-trained Messier and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85, the best in the Sunland Derby 2022 field.
But in his first start at three years old, Slow Down Andy finished a head-scratching sixth in the Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. “I’m not sure if the track, the ship, the distance or the post was the reason for Slow Down Andy’s sixth place finish in the Risen Star,” Yu told SportsLine. She will not use Slow Down Andy in any of her wagers.
How to make 2022 Sunland Derby picks
Yu is especially high on three horses, including an overlooked one who’s a “major player.” She is including these horses in her 2022 Sunland Derby bets, and so should you. She’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Sunland Derby 2022? Which horse is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Check out the latest Sunland Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu’s picks for the Sunland Derby, all from the expert who nailed Medina Spirit.
