The 2026 Kentucky Derby is upon us as the fastest two minutes in sports is set for Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The “Run for the Roses” goes to post at 6:57 p.m. ET. Among the favorites at the iconic track is Renegade, who is going off at 4-1. The Todd A. Pletcher-trained horse enters on a two-race winning streak, including a victory at the 2026 Arkansas Derby on March 28. Renegade also won February’s 2026 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs.
Other favorites include Further Ado (6-1), Commandment (6-1) and Chief Wallabee (8-1). The Puma comes back at 10-1, while So Happy and Emerging Market are both at 15-1. Silent Tactic, considered a mid-tier contender at 20-1, scratched on Wednesday due to a foot issue, bringing Great White (50-1) into the 2026 Kentucky Derby field as a longshot. Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
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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 hit a $1,682 supefecta, and then went on to nail 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, expert analysis
One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He’s completely fading Renegade, the morning-line favorite at 4-1. In fact, Demling says Renegade will barely finish inside the top 10 on Saturday. Renegade comes to Churchill Downs off wins at the Arkansas Derby and the Sam F. Davis Stakes. He drew the challenging inside rail position, however, and 1986 was the last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby breaking from Post No. 1. The favorite also hasn’t won the Kentucky Derby since 2018, so Demling sees too much working against Renegade this year. See who to back at SportsLine.
Demling also locked in his 2026 Kentucky Derby prediction for Commandment, who is the half-brother of Renegade and is listed at 6-1 in the Kentucky Derby odds. Commandment comes to Churchill Downs on a four-race winning streak, including winning back-to-back graded-stakes races: the Florida Derby and the Fountain of Youth Stakes. The Florida Derby has produced more Kentucky Derby winners than any other prep race, but it’s been nearly a decade since the most recent one, so that’s a trend to keep in mind when betting on Commandment. Bet the Kentucky Derby with the just in FanDuel Racing promo, which lets users bet $5 and get $25 in bonuses:
Demling has also locked in his 2026 Kentucky Derby picks for Further Ado (6-1), who won at Churchill Downs late in his 2-year-old season. Following his fifth-place finish in his initial dirt-fast MSW race, he has not finished lower than third, that coming in August. Since October, Further Ado has registered three wins and one second-place finish. He is coming off a first-place finish at the 2026 Blue Grass at Keeneland earlier this month.
He had placed second behind The Puma, who enters the Derby at 10-1, at the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby. Further Ado is trained by Brad H. Cox, who has one Kentucky Derby winner in his career. That came in 2021 when Mandaloun was elevated to the victory after Medina Spirit was disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make 2026 Kentucky Derby bets 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
| 1 |
Renegade |
4-1 |
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| 2 |
Albus |
30-1 |
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| 3 |
Intrepido |
50-1 |
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| 4 |
Litmas Test |
30-1 |
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| 5 |
Right to Party |
30-1 |
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| 6 |
Commandment |
6-1 |
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| 7 |
Danon Bourbon |
20-1 |
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| 8 |
So Happy |
15-1 |
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| 9 |
The Puma |
10-1 |
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| 10 |
Wonder Dean |
30-1 |
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| 11 |
Incredibolt |
20-1 |
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| 12 |
Chief Wallabee |
8-1 |
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| 13 |
Silent Tactic |
20-1 |
SCR |
| 14 |
Potente |
20-1 |
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| 15 |
Emerging Market |
15-1 |
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| 16 |
Pavlovian |
30-1 |
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| 17 |
Six Speed |
50-1 |
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| 18 |
Further Ado |
6-1 |
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| 19 |
Golden Tempo |
30-1 |
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| 20 |
Fulleffort |
20-1 |
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| 21 |
Great White |
50-1 |
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