Tampa Bay Derby 2022 predictions, odds: Horse racing picks, best bets from expert who hit exacta last year
A berth in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will be on the line when 12 horses leave the starting gate in the 2022 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. The signature race of the 2021-22 season at Tampa Bay Downs, the Tampa Bay Derby 2022 awards 85 Derby qualification points to the top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 basis, virtually guaranteeing the winner a spot in the Run for the Roses in May. Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Classic Causeway is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 2022 Tampa Bay Derby odds. The Todd Pletcher-trained Major General is 9-2 in the 12-horse 2022 Tampa Bay Derby field, while the Edward Barker-trained Shipsational is 5-1.
Post time for the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby 2022 is 5:23 p.m. ET. With a large field entering the starting gate on Saturday, you’ll want to see what racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2022 Tampa Bay Derby picks.
A Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014. Last year he was on fire. He hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes. Those were just some of his scores in 2021.
This year, he has hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, and the exacta in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, among other scores.
Now, he has handicapped the 2022 Tampa Bay Derby entries, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see them here.
Top 2022 Tampa Bay Derby predictions
One surprise: Weir is high on the chances of Giant Game, even though he’s a 10-1 long shot.Trained by Dale Romans, Giant Game ended his two-year-old season by finishing third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He began his three-year-old campaign by finishing eighth (out of nine) in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 5.
But that performance was caused by a displaced palate, which was corrected by minor surgery. “He continues to work fast in the morning and could contend if able to get back to his two-year-old form,” Weir told SportsLine. He will be using Giant Game prominently on his Tampa Bay Derby 2022 wagers.
How to make 2022 Tampa Bay Derby picks, bets
Weir’s top pick is a horse who “has the right tactical speed.” He also is high on a double-digit long shot whom oddsmakers are vastly underestimating. Weir is including these horses in his 2022 Tampa Bay Derby bets, and so should you. He’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Tampa Bay Derby 2022? What double-digit long shot is a must-back? And how has Weir constructed his wagers? Check out the latest Tampa Bay Derby odds 2022 below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir’s picks for the Tampa Bay Derby, all from the expert who nailed the exacta at this race last year.