Rowan Ward
The Saratoga summer meet opens this weekend, and it is full of some of the best horse racing betting opportunities of the summer! The feature on Saturday, July 16 is the Diana Stakes (G1), for fillies and mares aged four and up at a mile and an eighth on the grass. It offers a $500,000 purse, and always draws some of the best older turf mares in the country.
Trainer Chad Brown has been a force in this race: he won it every year between 2016 and 2020 with stars like Dacita, Lady Eli, Sistercharlie, and Rushing Fall. However, Charlie Appleby broke that streak in 2021 with his English raider Althiqa. Brown and Appleby clash again in this year’s Diana, and both have live contenders in the race.
Who will add their name to this winners’ list this year? Read on to find out!
Where to Bet the Diana Stakes
Before you begin to handicap the race, you need to know the best place to bet the Diana Stakes online. There are many online sportsbooks, and choosing one from such a large selection can be difficult. This is where our online betting experts can help. They know the space, and can help you choose the best online betting sites for your playing style.
Every racebook our experts recommend offers the basics of a great wagering experience: a great user interface, trustworthy deposit and cash-out functions, and real Las Vegas odds. Each sportsbooks also offers different bonuses including deposit and sign-up bonuses, horse racing rebates, and referral incentives.
Top Online Racebooks
Taking a few minutes now to pick the best horse racing bonuses for your wagering style can mean hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars in your bankroll! Read our expert reviews, choose the one that suits your preferred stakes and wagers the most, and then be ready to maximize your profit betting the Diana Stakes!
Diana Stakes Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2022 Diana Stakes including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Technical Analysis (Chad Brown/Jose Ortiz)
- Creative Flair (Charlie Appleby/Jamie Spencer)
- Bleecker Street (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz, Jr.)
- Rougir (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat)
- Dalika (Al Stall, Jr./Ricardo Santana, Jr.)
- In Italian (Chad Brown/Joel Rosario)
As the race gets closer, the track will release a morning line, but you are not guaranteed those odds. Instead, it makes more sense to track the odds at your favorite online sportsbook. Since online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering before the race, that means you can lock in the best odds on your horse at the moment you place your bet. You can’t do that at the track!
 |  |  |
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| Bleecker Street | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Creative Flair | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Rougir | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Technical Analysis | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| In Italian | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Dalika | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Free Diana Stakes Picks
Now that you have created your sportsbook account and gotten a look at the odds, it is the right time to handicap the race. Read on for expert 2022 Diana Stakes analysis:
Diana Stakes Favorites
Undefeated Bleecker Street will likely go off favored, and she deserves it. Even though the field has only six horses, there are several speedy types and she has a sharp turn of foot from off the pace. Even if they don’t rocket up front, Bleecker Street has closed into moderate paces and won, meaning this Chad Brown trainee should be able to make a trip and get home first again.
Charlie Appleby shipper Creative Flair makes her first start since February, but she has won first off a layoff before. Though she lost both of her US starts last year, they covered a longer distance. Nine furlongs may just be her game. And, though her European speed probably will not match American speed, she can run an excellent race from a stalking trip, giving her a good option.
Rougir is the second-stringer for Chad Brown, and the only horse other than Bleecker Street who is really an off-pace type. It is a concern that she was off the board as the heavy favorite last time, and also that she will not get the rain-affected track that may suit her best. However, her running style and the cutback in trip make her a strong candidate for finding the frame.
Diana Stakes Exotic Possibilities
The most interesting horse for the exotics is Dalika, the likely longest shot on the board. Trained by Al Stall (and not Chad Brown or Charlie Appleby), she will probably go unnoticed on the board. But, she has won her only start at the distance and her speed figures suggest that she fits with this group on her best day. With tactical speed to work a trip, perhaps she finds that best day.
Technical Analysis and In Italian, the other two from the Chad Barn, complete the field. The real speed horses in the field, Technical Analysis will have to go and then In Italian (who shares ownership with both Bleecker Street and Dalika) likely sends from the outside to keep her honest and prevent her from stealing the race.
Both Technical Analysis and In Italian have something to prove at this level. It would not be a serious surprise to see either invade the exotics in this competitive race, but in a field of six you have to take a stand on horses and these are the two who make the most sense to stand against.
Diana Stakes Free Picks
Now that you know where and how to bet the race online, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 Diana Stakes:
- $20 to win – #3 Bleecker Street
- $1 exacta key – #3 Bleecker Street with #2 Creative Flair, #5 Dalika
- $0.50 trifecta key – #3 Bleecker Street with #2 Creative Flair, #4 Rougir, #5 Dalika
