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Through the years, there have been just 13 Triple Crown winners, but trainer Bob Baffert has trained two of those horses. The first came in 2015 when American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. In 2018, Justify pulled off the feat. This year, Baffert is expected to send another strong contender to Churchill Downs on May 2 for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, Potente (16-1).

Renegade is the 2026 Kentucky Derby favorite at 4-1, followed by Commandment (7-1), The Puma (12-1) and Chief Wallabee (13-1). Potente is off to a solid start to his career with two wins, including the San Felipe and a second-place finish at the April 4 Santa Anita Derby. Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.

Bet the Kentucky Derby with the just in TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to receive up to $400 in bonus bets here:

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 12 times in the last 17 years. He also predicted the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and called the exacta in last year’s Preakness. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up. 

Now, with the 2026 Kentucky Derby approaching and horse racing futures odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2026 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions

One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Chief Wallabee (10-1) even though he’s one of the favorites. Compared to the other top 2026 Kentucky Derby horses, Chief Wallabee did not pick up many points in Kentucky Derby prep races, tying for 16th in the standings with 50.

After winning a maiden special race at seven furlongs in January, Chief Wallabee followed that up with a second-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and a third-place run in the Florida Derby, finishing behind Commandment and The Puma. Demling barely has him hitting the board and has found better values for early 2026 Kentucky Derby bets. See who to back at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling is high on Fulleffort, even though he’s a longshot at 15-1. The Brad H. Cox-trained horse has never finished lower than fourth in any of his seven career races. That fourth-place finish came in his first start in July 2025.

He followed that up by finishing third in August before a maiden stakes win in September. He took first in the Kee Allow at Keeneland in October and started the new year off with back-to-back second-place finishes in the Leonatus in January and John Battaglia Memorial in February. He is coming off a first-place finish in last month’s Jeff Ruby Steaks. Because of that, Demling is confident Fulleffort can make a run at reaching the board at Churchill Downs. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks at TwinSpires here with the offer code CBSSPORTS:

How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is also high on a longshot who “demolished the field” in his last start. Anyone who backs this colt could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2026, and which longshot is a must-back? Check out the just in 2026 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 12 Derby-Oaks doubles.

2026 Kentucky Derby odds

Horse  Odds Picks
Renegade 9-2 SEE PICKS
Commandment 5-1 SEE PICKS
Further Ado 6-1 SEE PICKS
The Puma 10-1 SEE PICKS
Chief Wallabee 10-1 SEE PICKS
Danon Bourbon 15-1 SEE PICKS
Emerging Market 15-1 SEE PICKS
Fulleffort 15-1 SEE PICKS
So Happy 15-1 SEE PICKS
Potente 20-1 SEE PICKS
Silent Tactic 20-1 SEE PICKS
Incredibolt 20-1 SEE PICKS
Albus 30-1 SEE PICKS
Chip Honcho 30-1 SEE PICKS
Golden Tempo 30-1 SEE PICKS
Iron Honor SCR SCR
Wonder Dean 30-1 SEE PICKS
Pavlovian 30-1 SEE PICKS
Right to Party 50-1 SEE PICKS
Six Speed 50-1 SEE PICKS