Those who are preparing to run a horse in the Kentucky Derby are truly living the dream.
Making the race is the goal of everyone associated with the sport. Trainers Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Brad Cox and Bill Mott — as well as jockeys Irad Ortiz Jr., John Velasquez and Javier Castellano — are among the horse racing veterans who have reached the Run for the Roses multiple times.
But for several jockeys, trainers and ownership groups, this will be a completely new experience. More than two dozen key connections are set to make their Kentucky Derby debut Saturday with hopes of winning the garland of roses.
Here are five Derby newcomers to watch this weekend:
Dana Bernhard, Pin Oak Stud owner
Bernhard’s Derby debut comes with not one but two horses in the race: Incredibolt and Albus. She and her husband, Jim, were based in Louisiana and began buying thoroughbreds in 2021. A year later, they bought Pin Oak Stud. The Bernhards purchased both Albus and Incredibolt during the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $320,000 and $75,000, respectively.
But Dana Bernhard has been running the barn herself since Jim died just before Thanksgiving last year. She told Thoroughbred Daily News that the two colts have become a source of comfort for her while grieving her loss. Albus has won back-to-back races, including the Wood Memorial, while Incredibolt has won two of his last three races with the most recent being the Virginia Derby. They’re Pin Oak Stud’s top two horses, helping the stable accumulate almost $1.3 million in earnings so far this year.
Q&A
Who are the notable newcomers in the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
Five newcomers, including owner Dana Bernhard, are set to make their debut in the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
What is the significance of the Kentucky Derby for new participants?
The Kentucky Derby represents a dream opportunity for new trainers, jockeys, and ownership groups to compete at a prestigious level.
Which experienced trainers are participating in the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
Veteran trainers such as Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Brad Cox, and Bill Mott are among those participating in the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
How many newcomers are expected to debut in the Kentucky Derby?
More than two dozen key connections are expected to make their Kentucky Derby debut.
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Trainer Riley Mott leads 2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus towards the Lukas Gap and their barn after a recent workout. April 22, 2026
Trainer Riley Mott leads 2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus towards the Lukas Gap and their barn after a recent workout. April 22, 2026
Riley Mott, trainer
Riley Mott and Bernhard will be experiencing their first Derbies together, though the two came from different backgrounds to reach the Run for the Roses. Training horses is in Mott’s DNA as the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who is 2 for 14 in the Derby. Riley Mott is forging his own path after founding his stable in 2022. Entering this week, he’d made nearly $9 million in career earnings via a 114-94-99 record in 767 career starts.
Mott’s top horse was World Beater, who missed out on last year's Derby but won the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes and Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby in the fall. Albus and Incredibolt will be Mott’s first Derby-qualifying horses at respective odds of 30-1 and 20-1. This weekend, he’ll be going against his father, who’s training Derby contender Chief Wallabee.
Christopher Elliott, jockey
Right to Party (5) ridden by Christopher Elliott, wins the Gotham Stakes (Grade 3), earning qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. Feb 28, 2026.
Right to Party (5) ridden by Christopher Elliott, wins the Gotham Stakes (Grade 3), earning qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. Feb 28, 2026.
Only two years into his jockey career, the 20-year-old Elliott will be riding in the Derby for the first time as Right to Party’s jockey. An up-and-coming talent in the sport, he was a finalist for the 2025 Outstanding Apprentice Jockey Eclipse Award after totaling 388 top-three finishes in 1,021 starts while accumulating $6.8 million in earnings last year. So far in 2026, Elliott holds a 20-21-31 record in 209 starts, though he’s yet to record a graded stakes win. This will also be his third ride on Right to Party this year after the two finished second in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 3 and took third in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on Feb. 28.
Like Riley Mott, Elliott is a second-generation jockey — his father, Stewart Elliott, won the 2004 Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones. Christopher Elliott will arrive at Churchill Downs with 199 career wins, an 11% clip in 1,790 starts.
Wathnan Racing, Commandment owner
Qatar-based Wathnan Racing began in October 2022 but hasn’t raced much in North America. Crimson Advocate was the stable’s first horse to race on the continent, according to Equibase, and finished sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Spring in 2023. Since then, Wathnan Racing’s horses have compiled a 36-20-27 record over 154 starts.
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Commandment with assistant trainer and exercise rider Katie Tolbert during morning training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Brad Cox. The horse has won four of his five races, earning more than $1 million. April 23, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Commandment with assistant trainer and exercise rider Katie Tolbert during morning training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Brad Cox. The horse has won four of his five races, earning more than $1 million. April 23, 2026
Case Clay Thoroughbred Management, which is based in Lexington, purchased Commandment for Wathnan Racing in 2024. The colt, sired by Into Mischief, is the stable’s second-highest earning colt this year with $943,020 and broke his maiden five months ago at Churchill Downs. He’s remained undefeated since then, winning the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes and Grade 1 Florida Derby.
At 6-1 odds, Commandment is set to run out of the sixth post on Saturday.
Juan Hernandez, jockey
Juan Hernandez, aboard Queen Maxima, prepares to enter the winners circle after is victory inthe 15th running of The Unbridled Sidney, Friday, May 2, 2025 in Louisville Ky.
Juan Hernandez, aboard Queen Maxima, prepares to enter the winners circle after is victory inthe 15th running of The Unbridled Sidney, Friday, May 2, 2025 in Louisville Ky.
Juan Hernandez has made 13,590 starts over his 17-year jockey career, through April 26. But none of them have included the Kentucky Derby. He was denied the opportunity three years ago when Skinner scratched due to an elevated temperature. Now the Veracruz, Mexico, native is back and will ride Potente. The two won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last month.
Hernandez entered this week with a 52-51-41 record in 238 starts this year, as well as 2,989 career wins. A victory in the Run for the Roses would also give trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh Derby win. Hernandez will have a busy weekend — he is riding Meaning in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and is entered in nine of 14 races on Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit atacubit@gannett.comand follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
