2026 Kentucky Derby horses: trainers, jockeys, owners competing in the race
Knicks Go and trainer Brad Cox getting ready to head to California for the Breeders' Cup from Churchill Downs. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
May 2nd, 2026
Kentucky Derby Trainers and Jockeys
Brad Cox saddles two co-favorites, Commandment (#6) and Further Ado (#18). Riley Mott sends out two horses for the same owner, Pin Oak Stud, Albus (#2) and Incredibolt (#11). Bob Baffert also has a two-horse entry with Litmus Test (#4) and Potente (#14). Doug O'Neill runs Pavlovian (#16) and Robusta (#23). Junior Alvarado (#12, Chief Wallabee) won last year's Derby aboard Sovereignty. John Velazquez (#18, Further Ado) is a three-time Derby winner. Mike Smith (#8, So Happy) is a Hall of Famer and 2005 Derby winner aboard Giacomo.
Kentucky Derby Owners
Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud owns both Albus (#2) and Incredibolt (#11), giving her a two-horse entry. Commandment (#6) is owned by Wathnan Racing, a Qatar-based operation representing significant international money in the race. Golden Tempo (#19) is co-owned by the historic Phipps Stable alongside Vincent Viola's St. Elias Stable, Phipps being one of American racing's most storied breeding operations. Calumet Farm (#23, Robusta) is another legendary name making a Derby appearance. Litmus Test (#4) carries one of the largest ownership syndicates in the field, with nine separate entities listed.
Post | Horse | Owner(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renegade | Robert & Lawana L. Low & Repole Stable (Mike Repole) |
| 2 | Albus | Pin Oak Stud (Dana Bernhard) |
| 3 | Intrepido | Dutch Girl Holdings LLC (Michele Arthur) & Irving Ventures LLC (Ruben Isla) |
| 4 | Litmus Test | SF Racing (Gavin Murphy), Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf et al.), Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin), Stonestreet Stables (Barbara Banke), Bashor Racing (Dianne Bashor), Determined Stables (Matt Dorman), Golconda Stable (Ben Goldberg), Waves Edge Capital (W. Gregg Slager) & Catherine Donovan |
| 5 | Right to Party | Chester Broman Sr. |
| 6 | Commandment | Wathnan Racing (Tameem Binhamad KH H Al-Thani) |
| 7 | Danon Bourbon | Danox Co. Ltd. |
| 8 | So Happy | Norman Stables LLC (Robbie Norman) & Saints or Sinners (Hans & Ana Maron) |
| 9 | The Puma | OGMA Investments LLC (Gustavo Delgado), JR Ranch (Jose Aguirre), High Step Racing LLC (Randy Guy), TCC Stables LLC (Michael A. Iavarone) & Bruce Zoldan |
| 10 | Wonder Dean | Yoshinari Yamamoto |
| 11 | Incredibolt | Pin Oak Stud LLC (Dana Bernhard) |
| 12 | Chief Wallabee | Michael & Katherine G. Ball |
| 14 | Potente | Speedway Stables LLC (Peter Fluor & K.C. Weiner) |
| 15 | Emerging Market | Klaravich Stables Inc. (Seth Klarman) |
| 16 | Pavlovian | Reddam Racing LLC (J. Paul Reddam) |
| 17 | Six Speed | Brunetti Dugan Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds (Jake Ballis), Steve Adkisson & Swinbank Stables (Reagan Swinbank) |
| 18 | Further Ado | Spendthrift Farm LLC (Eric P. Gustavson) |
| 19 | Golden Tempo | Phipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito) & St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola) |
| 21 | Great White | Three Chimneys Farm (Goncalo B. Torrealba) & John Ennis |
| 22 | Ocelli | Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate & Front Page Equestrian LLC (Kevin Page) |
| 23 | Robusta | Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) |
| 24 | Corona de Oro | On Our Own Stable LLC, Commonwealth Stable, U Racing Stables LLC & Saints or Sinners |
Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renegade | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. |
| 2 | Albus | Riley Mott | Manny Franco |
| 3 | Intrepido | Jeff Mullins | Hector Berrios |
| 4 | Litmus Test | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia |
| 5 | Right to Party | Kenneth McPeek | Chris Elliott |
| 6 | Commandment | Brad Cox | Luis Saez |
| 7 | Danon Bourbon | Manabu Ikezoe | Atsuya Nishimura |
| 8 | So Happy | Mark Glatt | Mike Smith |
| 9 | The Puma | Gustavo Delgado | Javier Castellano |
| 10 | Wonder Dean | Daisuke Takayanagi | Ryusei Sakai |
| 11 | Incredibolt | Riley Mott | Jaime Torres |
| 12 | Chief Wallabee | William I. Mott | Junior Alvarado |
| 13 | Silent Tactic | Mark Casse | SCR |
| 14 | Potente | Bob Baffert | Juan Hernandez |
| 15 | Emerging Market | Chad Brown | Flavien Prat |
| 16 | Pavlovian | Doug O'Neill | Edwin Maldonado |
| 17 | Six Speed | Bhupat Seemar | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| 18 | Further Ado | Brad Cox | John Velazquez |
| 19 | Golden Tempo | Cherie DeVaux | Jose Ortiz |
| 20 | Fulleffort | Brad Cox | SCR |
| 21 | Great White | John Ennis | Alex Achard |
| 22 | Ocelli | D. Whitworth Beckman | Joe Ramos |
| 23 | Robusta | Doug O'Neill | Emisael Jaramillo |
| 24 | Corona de Oro | Dallas Stewart | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
