Meet the Contenders: 2026 Kentucky Derby
Further Ado wins the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. (Photo by Coady Media)
April 27th, 2026
Meet the horses running in the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential. The star rating of 1 to 5 represents the opportunity to perform well. Be sure to follow these contenders by adding them to your stable alerts.
Renegade wins the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)
#1 Renegade ****
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Pro: Barely broke a sweat in the Arkansas Derby (G1), and Irad sticks by him.
Con: Speed ratings perhaps not as high as some would prefer; post 1 likely hurts.
Albus wins the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#2 Albus *
Trainer: Riley Mott
Pro: Smart winner of the Wood Memorial (G2) coming off belated graduation.
Con: That was one of the slowest editions of the Aqueduct feature in a long time.
Intrepido wins the American Pharoah at Santa Anita. (Photo by Benoit Photo)
#3 Intrepido *
Trainer: Jeff Mullins
Pro: G1 winner at two, though the form of that race hasn’t held up too well.
Con: No factor in Santa Anita Derby (G1) and seems a “Derby Fever” entry.
Litmus Test justified 3-5 favoritism in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) (Photo by Benoit Photo)
#4 Litmus Test *
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Pro: The main thing to like is that the barn is a modern-day leader in Derby wins.
Con: Hard to like after modest-to-poor finishes in Oaklawn preps.
Right to Party (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#5 Right to Party *
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Pro: Fared well stretching out two turns in Wood Memorial; capable of more.
Con: New York preps were not very fast, so hard to like in this spot.
Commandment wins the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#6 Commandment *****
Trainer: Brad Cox
Pro: Prevailed in both major Gulfstream preps; winner here and plenty fast.
Con: Getting the right trip, perhaps, is the biggest concern.
Danon Bourbon winning the Fukuryu at Nakayama. (Photo by Tomoya Moriuchi/Horsephotos.com)
#7 Danon Bourbon ***
Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe
Pro: Untouchable in a trio of starts in Japan; sire liked this track.
Con: Relative class unknown and might need a wet track for the best chance.
So Happy wins the Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita. (Photo by Benoit Photo)
#8 So Happy **
Trainer: Mark Glatt
Pro: Much improved effort in Santa Anita Derby, proving he can stay at least 9f.
Con: California contingent not overly deep, and an extra furlong might be a stretch.
The Puma wins the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. (Photo by SV Photography)
#9 The Puma ****
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Pro: Ran too good to lose in Florida Derby (G1); improving at the right time.
Con: Debuted in January, so has had to play a little catch-up.
Wonder Dean pulls clear in the UAE Derby (G2) (Photo by Dubai Racing Club/Liesl King)
#10 Wonder Dean ***
Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi
Pro: Stamina should be no issue for UAE Derby (G2) winner.
Con: Closest rival at Meydan had distance limitations; relative class in doubt.
Incredibolt wins the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)
#11 Incredibolt ***
Trainer: Riley Mott
Pro: Won Street Sense (G3) here and rebounded well in the Virginia Derby.
Con: Enters off a longish break, and speed ratings don’t quite stack up.
Chief Wallabee wins at Gulfstream Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
#12 Chief Wallabee ****
Trainer: Bill Mott
Pro: Fits on form, barn won this last year, and he’ll add blinkers for this.
Con: Down 0-2 to Commandment, plus must deal with other good ones.
Silent Tactic wins the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media)
#13 Silent Tactic ***
Trainer: Mark Casse
Pro: Eye-catching Southwest (G3) winner never worse than second in six starts.
Con: Others seem to be improving at a faster rate, ratings-wise.
Potente wins the San Felipe at Santa Anita. (Photo by Benoit Photo)
#14 Potente **
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Pro: Santa Anita Derby runner-up has come a long way in a short time.
Con: Baffert’s prior Derby winners seemed to have more going for them.
Emerging Market wins the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)
#15 Emerging Market ***
Trainer: Chad Brown
Pro: Up in time to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) despite relative inexperience.
Con: That was not an especially deep prep; enters off only two starts.
Pavlovian (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
#16 Pavlovian *
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Pro: Much improved of late and narrowly missed upsetting the Louisiana Derby.
Con: Consistently beaten by far less in the past.
Six Speed wins the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan in Dubai (Photo by Dubai Racing Club)
#17 Six Speed **
Trainer: Seemar Bhupat
Pro: Fast colt figures to help carve out the pace.
Con: Suspect to last this far after tiring late in the shorter UAE Derby.
Further Ado wins the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. (Photo by Coady Media)
#18 Further Ado *****
Trainer: Brad Cox
Pro: Blue Grass (G1) win easily the fastest prep; tough if he repeats it.
Con: Runs lights out at Keeneland; not so much elsewhere, yet.
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Golden Tempo wins at Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)
#19 Golden Tempo **
Trainer: Cherie DeVaux
Pro: Lecomte (G3) hero has never been out of the money; easily bred to stay.
Con: Plodding type will need a pace meltdown; other closers look speedier.
Fulleffort wins the Jeff Ruby Steaks (Photo by Coady Media)
#20 Fulleffort **
Trainer: Brad Cox
Pro: Experienced and consistent; could easily rally for a piece.
Con: Has raced exclusively on turf and synthetic to this point.
Great White upsets the John Battaglia Memorial (Photo by Coady Media)
AE #21 Great White *
Trainer: John Ennis
Pro: Edged next-out winner Fulleffort in the John Battaglia Memorial two back.
Con: Well beaten in the Blue Grass, his only start on dirt so far.
Ocelli training at Churchill Downs (Photo by Renee Torbit/Coady Media)
AE #22 Ocelli *
Trainer: Whit Beckman
Pro: A surprise third in Wood Memorial, albeit in a slow renewal.
Con: Maidens typically need maidens for the best chance.
Robusta wins at Santa Anita. (Photo by Benoit Photo)
AE #23 Robusta *
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Pro: Surprise second in San Felipe (G2) for two-time Derby-winning barn.
Con: California form is too inconsistent and not very fast.
Corona de Oro galloping at Churchill Downs (Photo by Coady Media)
AE #24 Corona de Oro *
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Pro: Won well in two-turn debut, albeit against four maiden rivals.
Con: Hard to envision an upset after losing Lexington (G3) by three lengths.
