The 2026 Kentucky Derby field is set, and post positions have been assigned for the 152nd Run for the Roses, with the morning line favorite, Renegade, at 4-1 and running out of the 1 gate.
The field of challengers is headlined by last year’s winning jockey Junior Alvarado, who is riding Chief Wallabee, trained by Bill Mott, running out of the 12 gate at 8-1. Two horses trained by Brad Cox — Commandment and Further Ado — check in at 6-1.
Saturday’s winner will have the chance to go for the first Triple Crown win since Justify in 2018. Only 13 horses have ever completed the feat of winning all three races. There was a 37-year gap between 1978 and 2015 Triple Crown champions when American Pharoah ended the lengthy drought. Sovereignty won last year’s race, but then did not run in the Preakness. The horse then came back for the Belmont and won that race as well.
Follow 2026 Kentucky Derby live updates throughout the Saturday race.
Speaking of scratches, there have been four so far ahead of the race, leaving 19 horses to compete on Saturday night. Right to Party was set to come out of the 5 gate on Saturday and was listed at 30-1 in the early odds. The Puma was scratched on Saturday morning and had the lowest odds of the horses that had been withdrawn at 10-1. Silent Tactic (20-1) and Fulleffort (20-1) were also scratched. In their place, three horses were added as alternates, and all three are currently listed at 50-1 (Great White, Ocelli and Robusta).
The Kentucky Derby is the sport’s most prestigious race, and while everyone wants to take home the rose garland, they’re also vying for a piece of one of the richest purses in all of horse racing. Let’s take a closer look at how all the money breaks down.
2026 Kentucky Derby purse breakdown
The 2026 Kentucky Derby will once again feature a $5 million purse, paid out to the top five horses in the field. The purse increased from $3 million to $5 million in 2024 ahead of the landmark 150th Kentucky Derby and has remained there since. The winner of the race will take home $3.1 million (more than the entire purse was back in 2023), while the horse that finishes second will still pull down $1 million. The full purse breakdown for the top 5 horses in the field looks like this:
- First: $3.1 million
- Second: $1 million
- Third: $500,000
- Fourth: $250,000
- Fifth: $150,000
How much will the winning jockey make?
Jockeys at the Kentucky Derby negotiate a guaranteed riding fee of at least $500 to run the race, but there is a potential for a massive payday for the riders who finish in the money. The typical prize split for the winning horse is 80% going to the owners, 10% to the trainer and 10% to the jockey. Last year, Junior Alvarado took home $310,000 for riding Sovereignty to the winner’s circle and will look to go back-to-back on Chief Wallabee this year.
With the purse remaining the same for this year, the winning jockey in the 152nd Run for the Roses will earn that same $310,000 prize — with some of that money going to the jockey’s agent and valet as well. The jockeys who finish in second and third typically take home 5% of the purse: $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.
2026 Kentucky Derby jockeys
The 21 jockeys hoping to ride their horse to the winner’s circle and that six-figure payday are:
- Irad Ortiz Jr. (Renegade; 4-1)
- Manny Franco (Albus; 30-1)
- Hector I. Barrios (Intrepido; 50-1)
- Martin Garcia (Litmus Test; 50-1)
- Luis Saez (Commandment; 6-1)
- Atsuya Nishimura (Danon Bourbon; 20-1)
- Mike Smith (So Happy; 15-1)
- Ryusei Sakai (Wonder Dean; 30-1)
- Jaime Torres (Incredibolt; 20-1)
- Junior Alvarado (Chief Wallabee; 8-1)
- Juan Hernandez (Potente; 20-1)
- Flavien Prat (Emerging Market; 15-1)
- Edwin Maldonado (Pavlovian; 30-1)
- Brian Hernandez Jr. (Six Speed; 50-1)
- John Velazquez (Further Ado; 6-1)
- Jose Ortiz (Golden Tempo; 30-1)
- Alex Achard (Great White; 50-1)
- Joseph Ramos (Ocelli; 50-1)
- Emisael Jaramillo (Robusta; 50-1)
- Brian Hernandez Jr. (Corona de Oro; 50-1)
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Visit SportsLine to see Jody Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed the $1,682 superfecta in last year’s race.
