
Celtic beat Falkirk to go level with Hearts at top of the table
Celtic's 3-1 win over Falkirk puts them level with Hearts at the top of the table!
Renegade, owned by Mike Repole, drew the No. 1 starting gate for the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, a position that has not yielded a winner since 1986.
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The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby is on May 2. (Scott Utterback/Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Prominent owner Mike Repole has had plenty of bad luck in the Kentucky Derby.
He got another dose of it Saturday when his colt Renegade drew the dreaded No. 1 starting gate for the 152nd running of next weekend’s race — a post position that hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986.
Repole, the beverage magnet of Vitaminwater and Bodyarmor fame who is now also running the United Football League, is 0-for-8 at the Derby and has had the favorite scratch twice on the eve of the race due to last-minute physical problems. Drawing inside would appear to be one more gut punch; however, with Renegade’s come-from-behind running style, jockey Irad Ortiz will have little choice but to take him to the back of the field to avoid the crush of traffic that typically occurs on the first turn as riders try to get their horses in position.
Renegade moved to the front of the Derby contenders last month with an impressive win in the Arkansas Derby for Repole and co-owners Robert and Lawana Low, blowing past the field on the far turn to hit the wire four lengths in front. Renegade will give trainer Todd Pletcher, who has started a record 65 horses in the Derby, a chance at his third winner.
Other contenders had better luck in Saturday’s post position draw.
Further Ado, who blew away the Blue Grass Stakes field by 11½ lengths, will come out of the No. 18 post position under 54-year old jockey John Velazquez, who has won this race three times. Further Ado is owned by Spendthrift Farm, which expected to be here instead with Ted Noffey, last year’s 2-year-old champion who was forced off the Derby trail this spring due to injury.
After those two, the top-three finishers of the Florida Derby — Commandment, The Puma and Chief Wallabee — also figure to get significant support from bettors. Commandment will start from the No. 6 post, The Puma drew No. 9 while Chief Wallabee ended up in the No. 12 hole.
Chief Wallabee is trained by Bill Mott, who won this race last year with Sovereignty and Country House in 2019. His son, Riley Mott, is making his Derby debut with two starters: Wood Memorial winner Albus and Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt.
Bob Baffert has two entries led by Potente, a $2.4 million purchase as a yearling who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby on April 4. Potente drew the No. 14 post position.
The No. 1 starting gate is considered unlucky because it has not produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986.
Renegade is owned by prominent owner Mike Repole.
The 152nd Kentucky Derby is scheduled for May 2, 2026.
The No. 1 post position has a historical significance of being the least successful starting gate in recent years, with no winners since 1986.

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Baffert is trying to officially win a record seventh Derby – which he did already in 2021 with Medina Spirit, only to have the victory taken away due to a positive test for betamethasone, which Baffert claimed was used to treat a skin condition but is not allowed in the horse’s system on race day.
That incident led to Churchill Downs banning Baffert from the racetrack for two years, which became a three-year ban as Baffert refused to admit fault. Ultimately, they came to an agreement for Baffert to return last year with Citizen Bull, who finished 15th.
With space for 20 horses in the starting gate, eligibility for the Kentucky Derby is determined by a system where horses have the opportunity to accumulate points in any of 50 pre-determined prep races around the world going back to last fall.
Trainer Steve Asmussen withdrew Chip Honcho on Saturday morning to point for the Preakness, opening up a spot for a second Baffert entry with Litmus Test, who drew the No. 4 post.
Four horses are listed as alternates – Great White, Ocelli, Robusta and Corona de Oro – in case there are scratches before the field is locked in on Friday. That happens regularly during Derby week, including in 2022 when Rich Strike got in at the last moment and became one of the longest shots to ever win the race at 80-1 odds.