Meet the 20 horses racing in Saturday's Kentucky Derby

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2. Albus (by Yaupon), Riley Mott, Manny Franco, 30-1

Where did he come from? Well, you wouldn't have given him much chance of a Derby appearance after he finished fourth and third in maiden races at Keeneland and Churchill Downs, respectively, in 2025. But 2026 has been a different story. Mott, son and former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, saddled him in yet another maiden event Feb. 27 at Tampa Bay Downs and the penny dropped. He won that event by 6 3/4 lengths -- enough to convince the younger Mott to put him in New York's premier Kentucky Derby prep, the Grade II Wood Memorial on April 4. He won that, too, coming from off the pace to score by 1 1/4 lengths. It wasn't the strongest field on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series but the way he won showed a lot of promise.

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3. Intrepido, by Maximus Mischief, Jeff Mullins, Hector Berrios, 50-1

He got into the Derby at virtually the last moment, as Stark Contrast was withdrawn to run instead on the turf, making room at the bottom of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points standings. His record, however, looks better than the points total. He captured the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita last October for his first career victory, but then finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. After a three-month break, he reported second in the Grade III Robert B. Lewis, and then got home fourth in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Because of the structure of the "Road" program, all of that earned him just 38 points and a spot on the bubble. However, his numbers as a 3-year-old haven't matched his performance in the American Pharoah, so he'll need to reverse course on that front.

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4. Litmus Test, by Nyquist, Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia, 30-1

He also snuck into the Derby field as rivals with more points dropped out. But he's been hanging around in some of the important races, and trainer Baffert, who already has six Derby wins, said he brought him to Louisville expecting to get him into the race -- "No Plan B." He finished fourth in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity in just his second race and then third in the Grade I Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. His big score was a victory in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity in December, but he disappointed at Oaklawn Park, finishing third in the Grade II Rebel in March and seventh in the Grade I Arkansas Derby, albeit with excuses in that last start. He got a good draw and could be dangerous with the right trip.

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5. Right to Party, by Constitution, Kenny McPeek, Christopher Elliott, 30-1

He has four starts, all at Aqueduct. He found the winner's circle on the second try and went straight to the Grade III Gotham on Feb. 28, where he finished third, beaten by 7 1/2 lengths. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in the Grade II Wood Memorial, he started next-last of 12 and used every stride of distance to get up to finish second, 1 1/4 lengths back of Albus in a trifecta involving three double-digit longshots. So, he's moving in the right direction. But the Wood wasn't the toughest of the Derby preps, and he'll face much stronger competition at Churchill Downs.

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6. Commandment (by Into Mischief), Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 6-1

Commandment swept the Florida Derby series -- the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in January, the Grade II Fountain of Youth in February and the Grade I Florida Derby itself March 26. He was all out to prevail over Tampa Bay Derby winner The Puma in his last win. His consistency is a positive sign, and he gives no indication he can't run the 1 1/4 miles of the Run for the Roses. He could have been the morning-line favorite but for Renegade's dominant performance in the Arkansas Derby. Owner Wathnan Racing, headed by Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, won the 2025 Dubai World Cup with Hit Show, also trained by Brad Cox.

7. Danon Bourbon (by Maxfield), Manabu Ikezoe, Atsuya Nishimura, 20-1

A Kentucky-bred colt, Danon Bourbon returns home after earning a Derby spot as top points-getter in the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" series. Katsumi Yoshida paid $450,000 for the colt at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and he now races for billionaire Masahira Noda's Danox Corp. Ltd. He won his first start by 10 lengths, followed up with an allowance win and made it 3-for-3 with a victory in the Fukuryu Stakes on March 28. He won that by 3 1/2 lengths, and the pace-stalking trip and explosive stretch move could fit a winning Derby profile. Of course, there's the question of what he's beaten in his three races. Dirt racing has a new emphasis in Japan, but might not be quite up to American standards just yet.

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8. So Happy (by Runhappy), Mark Glatt, Mike Smith, 15-1

So Happy started with a maiden win at Del Mar in November and then progressed directly to a victory in the Grade II San Vicente at Santa Anita in January. He ran into Bob Baffert's top Derby hope, Potente, in the Grade II San Felipe on March 7, finishing third behind that one and extreme longshot Robusta. So Happy then turned the tables on Potente in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby, using the additional sixteenth of a mile to chase him down in the lane and scoot past for a 2 3/4-length win. That encouraging sign should be taken in the context of questions about the quality of California-based Derby horses this season. "Big Money" Mike Smith, 59, rides in his 29th Kentucky Derby, looking for his third win following Giacomo in 2005 and Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018.

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9. The Puma, by Essential Quality, Gustavo Delgado, Javier Castellano, 10-1

His connections have been aggressive in plotting this colt's career and have been rewarded. He started with a second-place finish at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 10 and moved right into the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 7, finishing third. Undeterred, Delgado entered him in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby March 7, where he rallied from last of nine, survived some bumping in a stretch duel and won by 3/4 length over Further Ado. Just three weeks later, he was back at Gulfstream for the Grade I Florida Derby, where he held a late lead but was caught by Commandment, losing by a nose with Chief Wallabee third. With Further Ado, Commandment and Chief Wallabee all live chances in the Run for the Roses, this guy seems to fit quite well. And now he's had five weeks between races -- a virtual vacation.

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10. Wonder Dean, by Dee Majesty, Daisuke Takayanagi, Ryusei Sakai, 30-1

This Japanese-bred colt showed some promise with runner-up finishes in two minor stakes as a 2-year-old. Rather than contest the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby," his connections sent him to the Middle East, where he finished fourth in the Grade III Saudi Derby and then took a big step forward in the Grade II UAE Derby in Dubai, chasing down Six Speed in the stretch run to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Despite his all-Japanese breeding, the colt has Kentucky Derby bloodlines with 1989 winner Sunday Silence three generations back on the top line of his pedigree and 1999 winner Charismatic on the bottom. Jockey Sakai rode Forever Young to a third-place photo finish at the conclusion of the 2024 Derby.

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11. Incredibolt, by Bolt d'Oro, Riley Mott, Jaime Torrez, 20-1

The younger half of the Mott training family has two horses in the Derby. This one got there with a victory in the Grade III Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs back in October and a 4-length upset win in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on March 14. The Virginia Derby is a recent addition to the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series -- no surprise as Colonial Downs is owned by Churchill Downs -- and the field wasn't as tough as many of the other prep races. On the plus side, Incredibolt's pace-stalking trip and impressive victory margin could portend improvement. And he probably would need fairly significant improvement to make the frame in the Derby.

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12. Chief Wallabee, by Constitution, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 8-1

Mott's son and former assistant, Riley Mott, has two contenders in the Derby field, but Bill Mott needed the withdrawal of higher-ranked rivals to draw this colt into the race and set up the father-son confrontation. Owned by his breeders, Mike and Katherine Ball, Chief Wallabee has made three starts, all at Gulfstream Park. He won at first asking Jan. 10, defeating Kentucky Derby rival The Puma by 1 1/2 lengths and followed with a second, by just a neck, to Commandment in the Grade II Fountain of Youth. Then he was third, beaten less than 1 length in the Grade I Florida Derby. Ahead of him, only Commandment and The Puma. Commandment is a joint second-favorite on the morning line for the Run for the Roses and The Puma will get support, too. So it seems Chief Wallabee fits as Bill Mott seeks his second straight Derby win.

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14. Potente, by Into Mischief, Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez, 20-1

He's supposed to be good. After all, Speedway Stables paid $2.4 million for him at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and turned him over to six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert. He didn't make it to the races until Jan. 31, when he won a 6-furlong sprint at Santa Anita by 3/4 length. Needing some quick results and Derby points, Baffert put the colt right into the Grade II San Felipe. He stalked the pace, dug in late with a three-wide move and got home first by a head after 1 1/16 miles. He went on to the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, where he dueled for the lead, but then ran out of gas late to finish second to So Happy. The $2.4 million question: Does he have distance limitations or was the early pace battle a mistake?

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15. Emerging Market (by Candy Ride), Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 15-1

He's short on experience, but long on success. He was slow getting to the races and slow off the mark in his debut Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. He overcame that tardy break to win the race by 3/4 length over another promising first-timer. From there, trainer Chad Brown thought enough of him to go directly to the Grade II Louisiana Derby, where the fans thought enough of him to make him the 2-1 favorite. He got a little bit better start, raced wide into the long Fair Grounds stretch and chased down or outfinished them all. In his wake were Pavlovian and Golden Tempo, both of whom are in the Kentucky Derby field. His question mark: Can he take another step forward against tougher -- and more experienced -- rivals?

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16. Pavlovian, by Pavel, Doug O'Neill, Edwin Maldonado, 30-1

Here's one of the most experienced members of the Derby field. He made seven starts as a 2-year-old, and while many were in heats restricted to California-breds, he did finish second in the Grade II Best Pal in August. That race had a field of five, three trained by O'Neill and two by Bob Baffert. He won the Cal Cup Derby in January and then returned to open company and won the Sunland Park Derby in New Mexico. O'Neill shipped him to Fair Grounds, where he earned his way to Louisville with a second-place finish in the Grade II Louisiana Derby, behind Emerging Market. He was let go at 21-1 odds in that race, led throughout and surrendered by a head in the closing strides. O'Neill won the Derby in 2012 with I'll Have another and in 2016 with Nyquist.

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17. Six Speed, by Not This Time, Bhupat Seemar, Brian Hernandez Jr., 50-1

He is another Kentucky-bred returning home, this one from Dubai, where he arguably outran his original owners' expectations. He started out racing for some old college chums of trainer Bhupat Seemar, but after he won the Group 3 UAE 2,000 Guineas, they sold him to an American group that saw visions of Louisville, thanks to the guaranteed Derby slots for the top two finishers in the "Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby." The question was: Could he moderate his natural speed to stay a distance of ground? He gave it a go in the 1 3/16-mile Group 2 UAE Derby, holding a clear lead into the stretch, but then gave way to Wonder Dean, finishing second by 2 1/2 lengths. It will be interesting to see if tactics change in Louisville. Seemar, a former assistant to Bob Baffert, brought UAE Derby runner-up Summer Is Tomorrow to the 2022 Kentucky Derby, where he set a suicidal pace through 6 furlongs, tossed in the towel and finished last.

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18. Further Ado (by Gun Runner), Brad Cox, John Velazquez, 6-1

Further Ado took three tries to get his first win, but that was a corker -- a 20-length triumph at Keeneland on Oct. 10. He has been one tough cookie since. He won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29, fresh off the maiden score. After a short break, he finished second to The Puma in the Tampa Bay Derby and then returned to Keeneland for the Grade I Blue Grass on March 26. He won that by 11 lengths, and owner Erik Gustavson of Spendthrift Farm probably wishes the Derby were run at Keeneland. But winning at Churchill Downs at 2 is an important marker, as not all horses take to the Louisville track.

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19. Golden Tempo, by Curlin, Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz, 30-1

This one spent the whole winter in New Orleans and built a sufficient resume there to make it into the Churchill Downs starting gate. After winning his first two starts, he finished third in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes, won by Paladin -- a top Derby contender at that point before a minor setback took him out of consideration. That led to a third-place finish in the Grade I Louisiana Derby behind Emerging Market and Pavlovian. His late-running style could be problematic in the big field at Churchill Downs, but the 19 draw mitigates that. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, a rising star in her own right, is married to bloodstock agent David Ingordo, whose resume includes setting up the careers of such superstars as Zenyatta and Flightline.

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21. Great White, by Volatile, John Ennis, Alex Achard, 50-1

His coloring is great white shark-like, especially the distinctive white face. After two wins from his first three starts, all on the Turway Park all-weather course, he finished fifth in the Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland, earning just enough points to leave him first on the also-eligible list after entries were drawn. Nonetheless, he was beaten by 22 1/4 lengths in the Grade I Blue Grass after setting the early pace, and he will take a bite out of a lot of bettors' wallets in the Derby.

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22. Ocelli, by Connect, Whit Beckman, Joe Ramos, 50-1

He has yet to win a race and drew into the Derby field through an unusual run of defections by higher point-earners. He was third in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in February, sixth in the Virginia Derby in March and got 25 points for a third-place finish, at long odds, in the Grade II Wood Memorial on April 4. Much more would be required to figure in the outcome of the Kentucky Derby.