2026 Kentucky Derby: Horse-by-horse preview of the Triple Crown race

Mike Repole is a billionaire. Made it rich by selling his sports drink companies Vitaminwater and BodyArmor for a combined $9.7 billion. The recent resurgence by the St. John’s men’s basketball team has his green fingerprints all over it.

But if there is one thing Repole does not have, it’s good luck when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. He’s had eight horses run in the sport’s most prestigious race. Six finished 11th or worse. Vino Rosso was ninth in 2018, Mo Donegal ran fifth four years later. Most of them went off as long shots.

But even when he’s had talented horses, the racing gods just chuckled. In 2011, Uncle Mo was favored, but had to scratch. Ditto for Forte in 2023. Fierceness made it to the gate as the 3-1 favorite in 2024, but his trip was a disaster, and he finished 15th.

The comedy continues this year as Renegade, fresh off a solid four-length win at the Arkansas Derby, comes to Churchill Downs as the favorite. At last Saturday’s race draw, Renegade was given post position No. 1. In a 20-horse field, that’s the equivalent of being in jail. The last horse to win the Derby from post No. 1 was Ferdinand in 1986. Before that, it was Chateaugay in 1963.

Put that in your mint julep and drink it.

What: 152nd Kentucky Derby

When: Saturday, 6:57 p.m. (Race 12 of 14)

Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.

Distance: 1¼ miles

TV: FanDuel TV (10:30-noon); NBCSN and Peacock (noon-2:30 p.m.), NBC and Peacock (2:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

Streaming: NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com

Weather report: Expected to be dry and crisp, with temperatures in the 50s.

Total purse: $5,000,000. First place: $3.1 million. Second place: $1 million. Third place: $500,000. Fourth place: $250,000. Fifth place: $150,000.

Other Triple Crown races: Preakness Stakes (May 16), Belmont Stakes (June 6).

Odds as of Wednesday morning; Silent Tactic, in the No. 13 post, and Fulleffort, at No. 20, were scratched. Horses are listed with their program numbers.

Trainer: Todd Pletcher (65-2-2-4 in Derby)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. (9-0-0-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $1,031,500

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-2-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 5-2-2-1

Last three: Arkansas Derby (1st), Sam F. Davis (1st), Remsen Stakes (2nd).

Notable: It’s been 40 years since a horse has won the Derby from the No. 1 post. Trainer Pletcher had horses on the rail in 2021 (Known Agenda, finished 8th) and 2022 (Mo Donegal, finished 5th).

» READ MORE: Former Phillies star Jayson Werth fell in love with horse racing. Now he owns colts.

Trainer: Riley Mott (Derby debut)

Jockey: Manny Franco (6-0-1-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $436,288

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-2-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-2-0-1

Last three: Wood Memorial (1st), Maiden/Tampa Bay (1st), Maiden/Churchill Downs (3rd).

Notable: Named for Albus Dumbledore, a powerful character from the Harry Potter series. Displayed a little wizardry of his own when he won the Wood Memorial in the mud at nearly 12-1 odds.

Trainer: Jeff Mullins (4-0-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Hector Berrios (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $342,800

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-0-1-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 6-2-1-0

Last three: Santa Anita Derby (4th), Robert B. Lewis Stakes (2nd), Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (5th).

Notable: This is trainer Mullins’ fifth Derby, but his first in 21 years when Buzzards Bay ran 5th to 2005 winner Giacomo.

Trainer: Bob Baffert (35-6-3-3 in Derby)

Jockey: Martin Garcia (5-0-0-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $477,688

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-0-0-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 7-2-0-2

Last three: Arkansas Derby (7th), Rebel Stakes (3rd), Los Alamitos Futurity (1st).

Notable: Drew into the field after Chip Honcho withdrew. Was disappointing in the Arkansas Derby on March 28, but had an impressive enough workout at Churchill on April 23.

Trainer: Ken McPeek (11-1-1-0 Derby)

Jockey: Chris Elliott (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $230,200

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-1-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-1-1-2

Last three: Wood Memorial (2nd), Gotham Stakes (3rd), Maiden/Aqueduct (1st).

Notable: Finished second to Albus as a 39-1 shot in the Wood Memorial to make the $2 exacta a delightful $573.88. Jockey Elliott is the son of Smarty Jones’ rider Stewart Elliott.

Trainer: Brad Cox (12-1-0-2 in Derby)

Jockey: Luis Saez (12-0-0-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $1,017,339

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-3-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 5-4-0-0

Last three: Florida Derby (1st), Fountain of Youth Stakes (1st), Mucho Macho Man Stakes (1st).

Notable: Has won four in a row, starting with his maiden in November at Churchill Downs. Ran his last three at Gulfstream.

Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe (Derby debut)

Jockey: Atsuya Nishimura (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $222,762

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-2-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-3-0-0

Last three: Fukuryu Stakes (1st), Weight-Age/Kyoto (1st), Maiden/Kyoto (1st).

Notable: Name is pronounced DUH-non. Raced overseas, but was bred in Kentucky, hence the name Danon Bourbon.

Trainer: Mark Glatt (Derby debut)

Jockey: Mike Smith (28-2-4-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $480,000

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-2-0-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-3-0-1

Last three: Santa Anita Derby (1st), San Felipe Stakes (3rd), San Vicente Stakes (1st).

Notable: Only career loss was a third-place finish behind Potente in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in March. Responded by winning that track’s signature race a month later.

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado (3-1-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Javier Castellano (17-1-0-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $442,280

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-1-2-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-1-2-1

Last three: Florida Derby (2nd), Tampa Bay Derby (1st), Sam F. Davis Stakes (3rd).

Notable: Lost to Commandment by a nose his last time out. Delgado-Castellano teamed up to win here with Mage in 2023.

Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi (1-0-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Ryusei Sakai (1-0-0-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $770,541

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-1-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 6-2-2-0

Last three: UAE Derby (1st), Saudi Derby (4th), Poinsettia Stakes (2nd).

Notable: This will be the 11th Japanese-bred horse to run in the Derby. Forever Young, 3rd in 2024, is the only one to hit the board. Luxor Cafe and Admire Daytona ran 12th and 19th, respectively, last year.

Trainer: Riley Mott (Derby debut)

Jockey: Jaime Torres (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $498,681

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-1-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 5-3-0-0

Last three: Virginia Derby (1st), Holy Bull Stakes (6th), Street Sense Stakes (1st).

Notable: This will be Incredibolt’s third race at Churchill with Torres up top. Mott, the trainer, is the son of renowned trainer Bill Mott, who has a horse in the gate right next to Incredibolt.

Trainer: Bill Mott (14-2-0-1 in Derby)

Jockey: Junior Alvarado (6-1-0-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $216,600

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-1-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-1-1

Last three: Florida Derby (3rd), Fountain of Youth Stakes (2nd), Maiden/Gulfstream (1st).

Notable: Mott and Alvarado are trying to become the first trainer-jockey combo to win consecutive Derbies since Lucien Laurin and Ron Turcotte did so with Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972 and 1973.

Trainer: Bob Baffert (35-6-3-3 in Derby)

Jockey: Juan Hernandez (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $262,000

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-2-1-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-2-1-0

Last three: Santa Anita Derby (2nd), San Felipe Stakes (1st), Maiden/Santa Anita (1st).

Notable: One of four horses in the field who did not run as a 2-year-old. Nos. 9, 12 and 15 are the others. Baffert, who also has the No. 4 Litmus Test, is seeking to become the winningest trainer in Derby history.

Trainer: Chad Brown (9-0-2-1 in Derby)

Jockey: Flavien Prat (8-1-1-4 in Derby)

Career earnings: $618,880

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-2-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-2-0-0

Last two: Louisiana Derby (1st), Maiden/Tampa Bay (1st).

Notable: The only horse to win the Derby with only two previous lifetime starts was Leonatus in 1883. There have been six such horses since 1937. T O Password, fifth in 2024, is the only one to finish in the top five.

Trainer: Doug O’Neill (8-2-1-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Edwin Maldonado (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $613,450

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-1-1

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 10-2-4-1

Last three: Louisiana Derby (2nd), Sunland Park Derby (1st), California Chrome Cup Derby (3rd).

Notable: The most experienced horse in the race with 10 starts (two wins, four seconds). This will be his first run at Churchill. Named, in part, for former Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk.

Trainer: Bhupat Seemar (1-0-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. (6-1-0-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $402,183

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-2-1-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 5-3-1-1

Last three: UAE Derby (2nd), UAE 2,000 Guineas (1st), UAE 2,000 Guineas Trial (1st).

Notable: According to Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone, co-owner Jake Ballis discovered Six Speed while watching videos on social media waiting for a flight.

Trainer: Brad Cox (12-1-0-2 in Derby)

Jockey: John Velazquez (26-3-2-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $1,146,328

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 2-1-1-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 6-3-1-1

Last three: Blue Grass Stakes (1st), Tampa Bay Derby (2nd), Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (1st).

Notable: Won the Blue Grass by 11 lengths against a seven-horse field that did not include anyone else running in the Derby. Velazquez, who has never ridden Further Ado, is looking for his fourth Derby win, which would move him into a tie for third all-time.

Trainer: Cherie DeVaux (Derby debut)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz (10-0-1-1 in Derby)

Career earnings: $333,000

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-0-2

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-2-0-2

Last three: Louisiana Derby (3rd), Risen Star Stakes (3rd), Lecomte Stakes (1st).

Notable: DeVaux, a former assistant to Chad Brown, has been on her own since 2018. She’s the 18th woman to train a Derby runner. Best finish was Shelley Riley’s Casual Lies, who ran second to Lil E. Tee by a length in 1992.

Trainer: John Ennis (1-0-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Alex Achard (Derby debut)

Career earnings: $202,495

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 3-1-0-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 4-2-0-0

Last three: Blue Grass Stakes (5th), John Battaglia Stakes (1st), Leonatus Stakes (5th)

Notable: Drew into the field when Silent Tactic was scratched on Wednesday. Fifth-place finish at the Blue Grass Stakes was his first time on dirt. This will be his second.

Trainer: Whit Beckman (2-0-0-0 in Derby)

Jockey: Joe Ramos (1-0-0-0 in Derby)

Career earnings: $109,800

2026 starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 0-0-2-0

Career starts-1st-2nd-3rd: 6-0-1-3

Last three: Wood Memorial (3rd), Virginia Derby (6th), Sam F. Davis Stakes (6th).

Notable: Made the field after Fulleffort was scratched. Hasn’t won a race in six starts, and a victory would be among the race’s most historic upsets. Beckman and Ramos had Flying Mohawk here last year. He ran 18th.

Ed Barkowitz, sports writer

18-Further Ado; 15-Emerging Market; 5-Right to Party; 9-The Puma

When jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was given Renegade, it opened up a spot for John Velazquez to get on Further Ado. Velazquez will pass Bill Shoemaker by riding in his 27th Derby, second only to Mike Smith who will be in his 29th. Velazquez has done well starting on the outside with a win above Animal Kingdom from the 16th post in 2011, and Authentic from No. 15 in 2020. … Wish Emerging Market had more experience, but trusting jockey Flavien Prat who remarkably has hit the board in six of his eight Derby starts (one win, one second, four thirds). … Right to Party is named after the Beastie Boys’ raucous 1986 song and jockied by a young man (Christopher Elliott) whose dad rode Smarty Jones into the Hall of Fame. So what if he’s 31-1 and never won a stakes race? … Hoping The Puma can keep his momentum from his Sunshine State Florida swing where he won the Tampa Bay Derby and finished second by a nose in the Florida Derby.

Luke Reasoner, designer

18-Further Ado; 9-The Puma; 8-So Happy; 3-Intrepido

At least nine horses have ties to the Horse Capital of the World — Ocala, Fla. So let’s cut right to the chase and take Further Ado to celebrate winning the Run for the Roses. Next, with all horses who have gone through the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company auctions: The Puma and then So Happy. Tossing a long shot into the superfecta is exactly how one turns a small wager into a big payday, so let’s take a shot with (as of Thursday morning) 59-1 Intrepido.

Kerith Gabriel, editor

6-Commandment; 9-The Puma; 14-Potente; 18-Further Ado

Generally, I’m a fan of any Bob Baffert-trained horse, and after a three-year suspension, he’s back with two in Potente and Litmus Test. I think Potente will show and give Baffert some redemption, and at 26-1 odds, it’s a nice bet. However, I don’t think my counterparts here are giving enough credit to Commandment, who is well over $1 million in prizes this year and finished first in his last four races. I don’t think this field is putting work on this horse, particularly on a mile-and-a-quarter track.

A look at the dates in 2023 each horse was born. Number in parentheses is their program number for the Kentucky Derby.

Jan. 25: Renegade (1)

Feb. 6: Chief Wallabee (12)

Feb. 27: Ocelli (22)

Feb. 7: The Puma (9), Golden Tempo (19)

Feb. 23: Commandment (6)

March 15: Further Ado (18)

March 25: Wonder Dean (10)

March 28: Potente (14)

April 4: Incredibolt (11)

April 6: Danon Bourbon (7)

April 7: Emerging Market (15)

April 8: Pavlovian (16)

April 12: Six Speed (17)

April 13: Litmus Test (4)

April 16: Intrepido (3)

April 20: Right to Party (5)

April 26: So Happy (8)

May 14: Great White (21)

May 15: Albus (2)

Sources: Inquirer research, Equibase, Louisville Courier-Journal