Every 2026 Kentucky Derby horse name, ranked: Who should win based on moniker?

The 2026 Kentucky Derby is coming on Saturday, which means you'll be looking for betting advice as we get ready for the horses to race at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Here's the bad news: We WILL have betting advice, but that's not what this post is all about. No, this is the post that we’ve done in the past eight years, in which we rank the thoroughbreds by the horse names, which will help all you casual bettors out there.

What's the criteria? Great question! It's an extremely unscientific combination of originality, prestige and whether it sounds like the kind of name that shows how tough and resilient a horse is to win it all on Saturday.

Let's go from worst to best:

20. Ocelli

The word refers to the eyes of invertebrates, which doesn't have much to do with horse racing.

19. Great White

Too big.

18. Further Ado

I don't know if I want to bet on a horse that's associated with the word "Without."

17. Litmus Test

If you need a litmus test to know if this horse can win or not, there's uncertainty.

16. Emerging Market

I want my winning horse to be Developed Market! Not emerging!

15. Pavlovian

Does this mean that the bells are going to ring and this horse will suddenly perform? Isn't that what every thoroughbred does?

14. So Happy

That's nice, but I'd rather have a horse named "So Determined."

13. Golden Tempo

That's nice, but I'd rather have a horse named "Fast Tempo."

12. Chief Wallabee

Per the Courier-Journal, it's named after a shoe brand.

11. Wonder Dean

Sounds like a college administrator superhero.

10. Incredibolt

Sounds like a second-rate superhero.

9. Six Speed

I know this is meant to sound like an engine, but it sounds more like a bicycle.

8. Danon Bourbon

I love bourbon, but this makes it sound like a bourbon-flavored yogurt.

7. Intrepido

Now we're getting somewhere

6. Potente

It means "powerful." Got to like that!

5. Commandment

Thou shalt pick this horse?

4. Right to Party

YOU'VE GOTTA FIGHT! FOR YOUR RIGHT! TO PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTAYYYYYYYYYYYY!

3. The Puma

I'm of two minds here. First off, calling a horse THE Puma is kind of awesome. But it falls just short of the win because it feels un-horse-like to give it a "The" name. Just "Puma" might have worked better.

2. Albus

Yep, it's named after Dumbledore. A no-brainer here.

1. Renegade

Perfect Triple Crown contender horse name, no notes.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kentucky Derby horse names 2026 ranked: Best names of contenders