Kentucky Derby 2026 Contenders, Favorites and Lineup Odds After Post Positions Draw

The field for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2 has been determined and post positions drawn.

Find out where the horses that will race for the right to win the biggest event in the sport will start and what the early lineup odds are with this preview of the annual extravaganza from Churchill Downs.

Draw Position and Early Odds

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1. Renegade (Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Trainer: Todd Pletcher) (4-1)

2. Albus (Manny Franco, Riley Mott) (30-1)

3. Intrepido (Hector Berrios, Jeff Mullins) (50-1)

4. Litmus Test (Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert) (30-1)

5. Right to Party (Christopher Elliott, Kenneth G. McPeek) (30-1)

6. Commandment (Luis Saez, Brad H. Cox) (6-1)

7. Danon Bourbon (Atsuya Nishimura, Manabu Ikezoe) (20-1)

8. So Happy (Mike Smith, Mark Glatt) (15-1)

9. The Puma (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado) (10-1)

10. Wonder Dean (Ryusei Sakai, Daisuke Takayanagi) (30-1)

11. Incredibolt (Jaime Torres, Riley Mott) (20-1)

12. Chief Wallabee (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott) (8-1)

13. Silent Tactic (Christian Torres, Mark E. Casse) (20-1)

14. Potente (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert) (20-1)

15. Emerging Market (Flavia Pratt, Chad Brown) (15-1)

16. Pavlovian (Edwin Moldanado, Doug F. O'Neill) (30-1)

17. Six Speed (Brian Hernandez Jr., Bhupat Seemar) (50-1)

18. Further Ado (John Velazquez, Brad H. Cox) (6-1)

19. Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz, Cherie Devaux) (30-1)

20. Fulleffort (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad H. Cox) (20-1)

Odds via Kentucky Derby

Brad H. Cox's Two Derby Favorites

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Brad H. Cox is one of the premier trainers in all of horse racing, and it is no surprise that he enters the 2026 Kentucky Derby with two of his horses among the favorites to win the most coveted prize in the sport.

Further Ado has the pedigree, with his father a former champion and his mother a competitor in her own right. He has shown an ability to race at the necessary distance and speed to win the Derby. He also has a trainer in Cox whose ability to prepare horses has earned him the reputation he currently enjoys.

There are concerns about his ability to run at his best if the track conditions are anything but perfect, as he has not yet faced that scenario in high-profile races. Still, he certainly has the genealogy and raw tools to emerge from the pack with a win.

Commandment, another Cox entrant, has been nearly flawless on the tracks to this point, winning four out of five races. He has momentum on his side, has distinctly proven an ability to win a stakes race, and has the pedigree on his side.

His limited race history is somewhat concerning, but he has flashed brilliance every time out of the gate, hence his status as one of the three most-favored horses in this year's race.