Rowan Ward
The road to the Triple Crown visits northern California on Saturday, February 12 for the El Camino Real Derby! The $100,000 horse race betting event, at a mile and an eighth over the Tapeta course, has both Kentucky Derby and Preakness implications. The top four finishers earn Derby points (allocated 10-4-2-1), and the winner earns a bid to the Preakness.
Last year, the horse who won his Preakness bid in the El Camino Real went on to take great advantage. Rombauer finished third in the Blue Grass (G2) in his next start after the El Camino Real, then won the Preakness with the utmost confidence.
Though no El Camino Real Derby winner has yet won the Kentucky Derby, its winners have a strong history in other Triple Crown races. El Camino Real Derby winners include 1985 Preakness winner Tank’s Prospect, 1986 Preakness winner Snow Chief, and 1994 Preakness and Belmont winner Tabasco Cat.
Who will become part of this history in 2022? Read on to find out!
Where to Bet the El Camino Real Derby
Before you start handicapping the El Camino Real Derby, you need to make sure you know the right place to bet the El Camino Real Derby online. With so many online sportsbooks out there, it can seem difficult to pick the right one. Fortunately, our betting experts have found the best online racebooks, and can guide you to the best choice!
All of our recommended racebooks give you a great user interface, trusted deposits and cash-outs, and real Vegas betting odds. Sportsbooks offer different incentives for playing the races, and those structures suit varying betting styles. This is the time to find out which site has the right sign-up bonuses, deposit bonuses and horse racing rebates for you!
The Best Online Racebooks
With our expert insight, it only takes a few minutes to find out which online sportsbooks offer the most profitable bonuses for the way you like to bet. Choose which ones suit your betting style the best, make your accounts, and get ready to maximize your Los Alamitos Derby profit!
El Camino Real Derby Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2022 El Camino Real Derby including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Stormy Samurai (Jack Steiner/WIlliam Antongeorgi, III) – 8/1
- Mackinnon (Doug O’Neill/Abel Cedillo) – 8/5
- Unraptured (Tim McCanna/Armando Ayuso) – 10/1
- Blackadder (Bob Baffert/Edwin Maldonado) – 7/2
- Nuestro Engreido (Felix Rondan/Santos Rivera) – 20/1
- Boise (Jonathan Wong/Evin Roman) – 9/2
- Dr Pescado (Felix Rondan/Pedro Terrero) – 15/1
- Meetmeattheclub (Daniel Franko/Silvio Amador) – 50/1
- C’Mon Man (Bill McLean/Irving Orozco) – 15/1
- Il Bellator (Jose Bautista/Alejandro Gomez) – 20/1
- Del Mo (Doug O’Neill/Ruben Fuentes) – 10/1
These morning lines are Golden Gate Fields’s best guess about the odds come post time. However, you have no guarantee to lock in those odds if you bet at the track. Your best bet in the El Camino Real Derby is to play your horse at a trusted online sportsbook, which lets you lock in the best odds the moment you place your bet!
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 |  |  |
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| Mackinnon | TBA | +125 | +160 |
| Blackadder | TBA | +450 | +350 |
| Stormy Samurai | TBA | +800 | +800 |
| Dr Pescado | TBA | +800 | +1500 |
| Unraptured | TBA | +1000 | +1000 |
| Boise | TBA | +1100 | +450 |
Free El Camino Real Derby Picks
Now that you have your sportsbook account and you can get a look at their odds, it is the right time to handicap the race. Read on for expert 2022 El Camino Real Derby analysis:
El Camino Real Derby Favorites
#2 Mackinnon will be the favorite in the El Camino Real Derby, and there are reasons he can run well. Though he has yet to try Tapeta, turf form tends to transfer well and he has a lot of quality turf form, including a good third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) despite checking early. He has tactical versatility, which may come in handy given the near-inside gate in a big field.
The most interesting horse in this race is #6 Boise. He has class to prove, as he was well beaten in a Listed race at Santa Anita last time out. But, three back he won an excellent fourth on the Southern California circuit in stakes company, and he is a stakes winner going a mile over the Golden Gate Tapeta. Being by Temple City he has a good chance to stretch out to a mile and an eighth, and even though he is a late runner he does not have to drop too far back.
#4 Blackadder is the other horse likely to take some money at the windows, since he is trained by Bob Baffert. However, there are questions. He has only ever run on dirt, and his lone victory came against maidens who were washed off of the turf. His pedigree suggests the distance will be fine, but given the surface and class questions, he seems an underlay at the windows.
El Camino Real Derby Longshots
In this field of eleven, there are some longshots who are interesting to use on tickets alongside the likes of Boise and Mackinnon.
#11 Del Mo is Mackinnon’s stablemate in the Doug O’Neill barn, though he has been based at Golden Gate instead of Southern California in recent times. Northern California agrees with him; he came close in two maiden races there last year, and then broke his maiden January 9 there, at a mile on Tapeta. His breeding shines for the stretch to nine furlongs, and he is tactically versatile enough to find a spot from this outside post.
#1 Stormy Samurai drew the inside in a big field, which can be tricky. He is also going two turns for the first time. But, both of his wins have come over the Golden Gate synthetic, including an allowance victory last month. He has also won from a rail draw before, in his maiden win last December. With an excellent pedigree for the stretch out, he is primed to move forward.
#10 Il Bellator has tactical speed from the outside, something that should help him work a clean trip. Though he faces winners for the first time, it is positive that he woke up and broke his maiden the first time that he tried a two-turn distance. His barn does well with both last-out maiden winners and layoff horses, making him an interesting horse at a huge price.
El Camino Real Derby Free Picks
Now that you know where and how to bet the race online, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 El Camino Real Derby:
- $20 to win – #6 Boise
- $1 exacta key – #6 Boise with #2 Mackinnon and #11 Del Mo
- $0.50 trifecta key – #6 Boise with #1 Stormy Samurai, #2 Mackinnon, and #11 Del Mo
- $0.20 superfecta key – #6 Boise with #1 Stormy Samurai, #2 Mackinnon, #10 Il Bellator, and #11 Del Mo
