Kentucky Derby Post Draw 2026, Contenders, Dark Horses with Best Odds

The 2026 Kentucky Derby is still a couple of days away, but the 20-horse field already looks a little different than it did following last weekend's post draw. Silent Tactic, a Mark Casse-trained horse, was pulled from the race on Wednesday due to a foot injury.

According to Casse, it's only a slight injury, but it's enough to exercise caution.

"You can't run in the Kentucky Derby and not be 100 percent," Casse said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Fulleffort was then scratched on Thursday after X-rays revealed a bone chip. With Fulleffort and Silent Tactic out, Great White and Ocelli have entered the field.

Here, you'll find a look at the updated post positions and odds, along with some favorites and dark horses to consider.

152nd Kentucky Derby

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

When: Saturday, May 2

Where: Churchill Downs in Louisville

Race Length: 1¼ miles

Prize Purse: $5 million ($3.1 million to winner)

Post Time: 6:57 p.m. ET

Main Broadcast: 2:20 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: NBC and Peacock

Post Positions and Odds

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Emerging Market runs on the track during the morning training for the 152nd Kentucky Derby

1. Renegade 5-1

2. Albus 51-1

3. Intrepido 59-1

4. Litmus Test 37-1

5. Right to Party 29-1

6. Commandment 7-1

7. Danon Bourbon 14-1

8. So Happy 6-1

9. The Puma 7-1

10. Wonder Dean 20-1

11. Incredibolt 37-1

12. Chief Wallabee 12-1

13. Potente 26-1

14. Emerging Market 12-1

15. Pavlovian 49-1

16. Six Speed 45-1

17. Further Ado 7-1

18. Golden Tempo 45-1

19. Great White 41-1

20. Ocelli 50-1

21. (alt) Robusta 50-1

22. (alt) Corona de Oro 50-1

*Odds from KentuckyDerby.com

Favorites and Dark Horses

AP Photo

Kentucky Derby entrant Renegade works out at Churchill Downs Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Louisville, Ky

Favorites

Renegade

Renegade opened the week as the morning-line favorite and has maintained his position as one of the top contenders in the field. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt is coming off a strong victory in the Arkansas Derby and has an experienced jockey in Irad Ortiz Jr.

Renegade was recently voted as the top thoroughbred, over fellow favorite Commandment, in a National Thoroughbred Racing Association poll.

The problem for Renegade is that the horse drew the dreaded No. 1 post. It's a position that hasn't produced a Kentucky Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986.

The Puma

The Puma has become a hot ticket during the week, and for good reason. The Gustavo Delgado-trained horse won the Tampa Bay Derby and narrowly finished second behind Commandment at the Florida Derby.

Mage and Sovereignty are recent Derby winners that first finished second at the Florida Derby.

With a favorable position in the middle of the field, Puma and jockey Javier Castellano will have a shot at a clean start and a fast race.

Dark Horses

Danon Bourbon

No Japanese horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, but that could change this year. Danon Bourbon, a Manabu Ikezoe-trained horse, was foaled in Versailles but has run all three career races—all wins—in Japan.

Along with Wonder Dean, who is Japanese-born, Danon Bourbon will have a shot at making history. The best finish for a Japanese horse to date is the third-place finish by Forever Young in 2024.

With a spot right between two favorites in So Happy and Commandment, expect Danon Bourbon to be on the pace for a strong run.

Great White

Coming off the also-eligible list, Great White is a true dark horse. The John Eniss-trained mount has won two of four races but is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

The No. 19 post will also leave jockey Alex Achard with a tricky race to navigate. Great White should experience a clean break, but moving inside will be a challenge.

Of course, we've seen a dark horse win from this position before. Rich Strike came off the also-eligible list in 2022 to win the Kentucky Derby as an 80-1 longshot.