Kentucky Derby 2026 Horses, Contenders and Race-Day Overview for Entire Field
Derby Day has arrived, racing fans! In a matter of hours, the 152nd Run for the Roses will have its winner, who will also be the lone horse chasing the Triple Crown in 2026.
That's assuming Saturday's winning race team chooses to go for the Triple Crown. Last year, trainer Bill Mott decided to keep Derby winner Sovereignty out of the Preakness in order to focus on the Belmont, an intriguing decision considering the horse won both races.
The last Triple Crown winner was Justify in 2018.
This year's star-studded field features several top contenders who could emulate Justify's success. Here's a look at what to expect for Saturday's initial challenge.
Kentucky Derby 2026
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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
Updated Field and Odds
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1. Renegade 5-1
2. Albus 50-1
3. Intrepido 55-1
4. Litmus Test 34-1
5. Commandment 7-1
6. Danon Bourbon 14-1
7. So Happy 6-1
8. The Puma 8-1
9. Wonder Dean 20-1
10. Incredibolt 27-1
11. Chief Wallabee 9-1
12. Potente 23-1
13. Emerging Market 11-1
14. Pavlovian 52-1
15. Six Speed 40-1
16. Further Ado 7-1
17. Golden Tempo 36-1
18. Great White 29-1
19. Ocelli 50-1
20. Robusta 50-1
*Odds from KentuckyDerby.com
Favorites
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Renegade has remained one of the top favorites throughout race week. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt is coming off a win at the Arkansas Derby and has an experienced jockey in Irad Ortiz Jr. Ortiz has several notable wins on his resume, including two at the Belmont Stakes.
However, Renegade drew a difficult starting position from the No. 1 gate and is certainly not the only horse capable of winning the Derby and, perhaps, the Triple Crown.
No horse has won from the No. 1 post since Ferdinand in 1986.
"It just puts you in a position where you can't make a mistake," Pletcher said, per Jason Frakes of the Louisville Courier Journal.
So Happy and The Puma are two favorites who will break from the middle of the field. The Puma, trained by Gustavo Delgado, placed second behind Commandment at the Florida Derby and could easily be in the mix for a better finish on Saturday. So Happy, a Mark Glatt-trained horse, is coming off a win at the Santa Anita Derby and has notched three victories in four races.
Commandment is another favorite with less-than-ideal inside positioning, though the Brad Cox-trained mount has the speed to win with a clean start. Commandment has won his last four races, including the Curlin Florida Derby.
Frakes listed Commandment and The Puma as horses that can defeat Renegade, along with Further Ado and Emerging Market.
Of course, backing the favorites doesn't always pay off at the Kentucky Derby. Justify also happens to be the last horse to win as the post-time favorite. Each of the last for winners went off with odds of 10-1 or longer.
Race Day Overview
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The field looks a little different than it did during last weekend's post draw. Silent Tactic and Fulleffort were scratched during the week, and Right to Party was scratched on Friday morning.
With those three out, Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta entered the field as also-eligible entrants. While these three are dark horses, we've seen an also-eligible win the Derby before. Rich Strike did exactly that in 2022 as an 80-1 long shot.
In short, many horses in the field are likely to have a legitimate shot to win on Saturday evening, provided it's a clean race. Fortunately, we're unlikely to see sloppy conditions.
As of Friday, The Weather Channel was calling for cooler weather and a chance of a rain shower, but not the sort of severe weather that could produce a sloppy track.
For fans attending Saturday's festivities, gates are scheduled to open at 9 a.m. ET, with the day's first post time scheduled for 11 a.m. The final preliminary race, the Old Forester Turf Classic, is scheduled for a 5:39 p.m. ET post time, with the Kentucky Derby to follow at 6:57 p.m. ET.
For those watching at home, NBC's main broadcast is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and run through 7:30 p.m. ET.
