The 152nd Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday with top thoroughbreds competing for glory. Renegade is the favorite at 9-2 odds, starting from the rail, while historical trends suggest Post Position 5 has the best chance of producing a winner.
Key points
152nd Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday
Renegade is the favorite at 9-2 odds
Post Position 5 has produced 10 winners since 1930
Nine of the last 15 winners started from posts 13-16
Drew Dinsick is providing live reports from Churchill Downs
Mentioned in this story
Drew Dinsick
Kentucky Derby
The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby will be run Saturday. The first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown features the Top 20 thoroughbreds in the world. Each enters the starting gate for a once in a lifetime shot at immortality.
The Draw was Saturday. The favorite -Renegade (9-2) will start from the rail. Further Ado (5-1) and Commandment (6-1) will break from the 18th and 6th positions.
While those three are the favorites, if history is any indication, Post Position 5 will produce the winner of the Run for the Roses. Position 5 has produced 10 winners, the most since 1930 although Post 10 has produced nine winners. Right to Party (50-1) starts from the #5 position and Wonder Dean (25-1) from the tenth position.
That said, nine of the past 15 winners have started from posts 13-16. No horse starting in Post 17 or wider has won the Kentucky Derby.
NBC Sports’ horse racing and betting analyst Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) is live at Churchill Downs all week and will file reports on which horses he likes and is betting on this Saturday.
This is the ultimate betting primer for the Run for the Roses. Let's run through the field and breakdown each horse.
2025 Kentucky Derby Full Field and Post Positions
The following is a snapshot of each horse in the field including their jockey, trainer, most recent race, and racing style.
(Horses listed by Post Position)
Renegade Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Renegade Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#1 Renegade (9-2)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. | Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Last Race: Won Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Closer (stays at the back of the field early to conserve energy, relying on a strong final turn of speed to win)
Purchase Price: $975,000 | Career Earnings: $1.03 million
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Majority owner Robert Low founded Prime Inc. — a trucking company — as a 19-year-old engineering student at the University of Missouri
Albus Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Albus Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#2 Albus (40-1)
Jockey: Manny Franco | Trainer: Riley Mott
Last Race: Won Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 4
Purchase Price: $320,000 | Career Earnings: $436,288
Racing Style: Off the Pace (chases behind the pacesetters or front runners)
This is Mott’s 1st Kentucky Derby
Franco is 0-6 in the Derby | The Derby will be his 1st ride w/ Albus
Riley is the son of Bill Mott, who won the Kentucky Derby w/ Country House (2019) and Sovereignty (2025)
Intrepido Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
Intrepido Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
#3 Intrepido (50-1)
Jockey: Hector Berrios | Trainer: Jeff Mullins
Last Race: Finished 4th in 2025 Santa Anita Derby
Racing Style: Stalker (like to follow front runners just right behind them)
**Purchase Price: $**385,000 | Career Earnings: $342,800
First Kentucky Derby mount for Hector Berrios
In April 2026, Intrepido completed a 5-furlong workout at Churchill Downs in 57 seconds, believed to be the fastest 5-furlong work by a Derby contender since 2012
Litmus Test Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
Litmus Test Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
#4 Litmus Test (30-1)
Jockey: Martin Garcia | Trainer: Bob Baffert
Last Race: Finished 7th in the Arkansas Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Tactical (a versatile runner that combines natural speed w/ the ability to manage stamina just off the front-running pace
Purchase Price: $875,000 | Career Earnings: $477,688
His sire, Nyquist, was a champion two-year-old and won the 2016 Kentucky Derby, making Litmus Test a “legacy” runner
Garcia is 0-5 in the Kentucky Derby
Right to Party Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Right to Party Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#5 Right to Party (50-1)
Jockey: Chris Elliott | Trainer: Ken McPeek
Last Race: Placed 2nd in Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 4
Racing Style: Deep Closer (starts slowly and makes up ground in the final stretch)
Purchase Price: $325,000 | Career Earnings: $230,200
All four of his races have come at Aqueduct
Elliott, 19, is the son of Stewart Elliott, who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness on Smarty Jones
Commandment Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Commandment Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#6 Commandment (6-1)
Jockey: Luis Saez | Trainer: Brad Cox
Last Race: Won Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Stalker (sits just behind the front runners, aiming to conserve energy and challenge the leader in the final stretch)
Purchase Price: $500,000 | Career Earnings: $1.02 million
Cox is 1-12 in the Derby (Mandaloun in 2021) / Saez is 0-12 in the Derby
Saez has never ridden Commandment
Grandsire: Orb - won the Kentucky Derby (2013)
danonbourbonsilkswhite.jpg
danonbourbonsilkswhite.jpg
#7 Danon Bourbon (50-1)
Jockey: Atsuya Nishimura | Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe
Last Race: Won the Fukuryu Stakes in Japan on March 28, 2026
Racing Style: Front-Runner (establishes an early lead or sits just off the leader to dictate the pace throughout the race)
Purchase Price: $450,000 | Career Earnings: $222,762
Has won all three of his starts by a combined margin of over 18 lengths.
The Derby will be his first race in the United States
So Happy Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
So Happy Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#8 So Happy (15-1)
Jockey: Mike Smith | Trainer: Mark Glatt
Last Race: Won the 2026 Santa Anita Derby on April 4
Racing Style: Stalker (sits just behind the front runners, aiming to conserve energy and challenge the leader in the final stretch.
Purchase Price: $150,000 | Career Earnings: $480,000
Family members include So Cunning, So Glitzy, and So Ritzy
First Derby for Glatt
Smith is 2 for 28 in the Derby (Giacomo - 2005 / Justify - 2018)
The Puma Silks - 202
The Puma Silks - 202
#9 The Puma (10-1)
Jockey: Javier Castellano | Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Last Race: Finished 2nd in Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Stalker (sits just behind the front runners, aiming to conserve energy and challenge the leader in the final stretch)
Purchase Price: $150,000 | Career Earnings: $442,280
Delgado is 1 for 3 in the Derby (Mage - 2023)
Castellano is 1 for 17 in the Derby (Mage - 2023)
The Puma’s sire, Essential Quality, finished third in the
Derby and won the Belmont (2021)
Last Race: Won the UAE Derby on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse
Racing Style: Stalker (runs just behind the front-runners, conserving energy to pounce late)
Purchase Price: Homebred | Career Earnings: $770,541
Didn’t wait long to travel to Louisville after winning the UAE Derby, arriving at Churchill Downs on April 1 and exiting quarantine two days later
Sakai and Takayanagi are each 0-1 in the Kentucky Derby
Incredibolt Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Incredibolt Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#11 Incredibolt (25-1)
Jockey: Jaime A. Torres | Trainer: Riley Mott
Last Race: Won the Virginia Derby on March 14
Purchase Price: $75,000 | Career Earnings: $498,681
Racing Style: Stalker (sits just behind the front runners, aiming to conserve energy and challenge the leader in the final stretch)
Won the Street Sense Stakes which was won in 2024 by Sovereignty who went on to win the Kentucky Derby all the while being trained by Bill Mott, Riley’s father
Prior to winning the Virginia Derby, lost by 25 1/4 lengths in the Holy Bull Stakes
Chief Wallabee Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Chief Wallabee Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#12 Chief Wallabee (10-1)
Jockey: Junior Alvarado | Trainer: Bill Mott
Last Race: Placed 3rd in Florida Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Pressing Stalker (Runs in the middle of the pack early, rallies late)
Purchase Price: Homebred | Career Earnings: $216,600
Has raced only 3 times and only on dry dirt in his career
Silent Tactic Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Silent Tactic Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#13 Silent Tactic (30-1)
Jockey: Cristian Torres | Trainer: Mark Casse
Last Race: 2nd in Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 28
Racing Style: Closer (waits at end of pack before unleashing an incredible speed that can outrun all the horses in front)
Purchase Price: $500,000 | Career Earnings: $1.05 million
Casse is 0-11 in the Derby / This will be Torres’ 1st Derby
In 2019, Casse won the Preakness (War of Will) and Belmont (Sir Winston)
Potente Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Potente Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#14 Potenete (15-1)
Jockey: Juan Hernandez | Trainer: Bob Baffert
Last Race: Finished 2nd in Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4
Racing Style: Speed (breaks quickly and leads or immediately challenges for the lead, often controlling the pace)
Purchase Price: $2.4 million | Career Earnings: $262,000
Potenete was not the most expensive horse purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale in 2024. Faran sold for $3.4 million at that event
Emerging Market Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Emerging Market Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#15 Emerging Market (20-1)
Jockey: Flavien Prat | Trainer: Chad Brown
Last Race: Won Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21
Racing Style: Mid-pack (settles into the middle of the field during the early and middle stages of the race)
Purchase Price: $185,000 | Career Earnings: $618,800
Brown’s 0-9 in the Derby
Prat’s 1-8 in the Derby
Emerging Market has made just 2 starts. The only horse to win the Derby with just 2 starts under his belt is Leonatus in 1883.
Pavlovian Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Pavlovian Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#16 Pavlovian (40-1)
Jockey: Edwin Maldonado | Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Last Race: Placed 2nd in Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21
Racing Style: Front-Runner (designed to take the lead immediately at the start of a race, establishing a “front” or near-front position to control the pace)
Purchase Price: Homebred | Career Earnings: $613,450
One of the more experienced horses in the field, having competed in 10 races on various tracks
Considered a late closer and slow out of the gate as a 2-year-old but now wears blinkers and has been transformed into a front-runner
Six Speed Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
Six Speed Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby.png
#17 Six Speed (40-1)
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. | Trainer: Bhupat Seemar
Last Race: Finished 2nd in the UAE Derby on March 28 at Meydan Racecourse
Racing Style: Front Runner (establishing speed in the race and leading for as long as possible)
Purchase Price: $304,680 | Career Earnings: $402,183
Hernandez is 1-5 in the Derby (Mystik Dan - 2024)
Horses who enter the Kentucky Derby after prepping in the UAE Derby are 0-21 since 2000
Further Ado Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Further Ado Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#18 Further Ado (5-1)
Jockey: John Velazquez | Trainer: Brad Cox
Last Race: Won Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 4
Racing Style: Stalker
Purchase Price: $550,000 | Career Earnings: $1.14 million
Velazquez is 3-26 in the Derby, winning with Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017) and Authentic (2020)
Irad Ortiz Jr. has ridden Further Ado in all three of the horse’s wins, but has chosen to ride Renegade in the Derby
Last Race: Placed 3rd in Grade 2 LA Derby on March 21
Racing Style: Deep Closer (starts extremely slow and passes multiple horses in the home stretch)
Purchase Price: Homebred | Career Earnings: $333,000
Sired by Curlin (two-time Horse of the Year)
Ortiz is the only jockey to ride Golden Tempo
Fulleffort Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
Fulleffort Silks - 2026 Kentucky Derby
#20 Fulleffort (20-1)
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione | Trainer: Brad Cox
Last Race: Won Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 21
Racing Style: Closer (settles in the back of the pack early and utilizes a strong final push to pass tiring rivals in the home stretch)
Purchase Price: $425,000 | Career Earnings: $694,115
Gaffalione is 0 for 7 in the Derby
Has never raced on Dirt
As a reminder, Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) will be at Churchill Downs all week bringing you the sites and sounds from the track including updates on the full field so you can make informed wagers.
