Blake Krass breaks down the 2026 Kentucky Derby and gives out all of his best bets for the biggest horse race of the year.
The biggest horse race of the year is finally here! The 2026 Kentucky Derby kicks off the Triple Crown at 6:57 p.m. on Saturday May, 2nd. There are so many different ways to bet on this big race. This is a preview of the best bets to make for the most exciting two minutes in sports.
Bettors can place wagers on the Kentucky Derby on DK Horse.
There are currently nine horses with odds of 20/1 or better. Just like in regular sports betting, these odds will update all the way up to post time. However, unlike standard sports betting, you will not get the odds that were available when you placed the bet. Whichever horse you bet on, your bet will be on whatever the closing odds for that horse are. So, if you bet on Renegade at 5/1, but the line moves to 4/1 just before post, your bet will be on those closing odds of 4/1. However, this can also work in your favor if the odds move the other way. So, these odds are subject to change, but these seem like the top nine contenders.
Here is a quick preview of the five horses with odds of 8/1 or better.
Renegade is the current favorite at 5/1. Renegade is trying to break two statistical anomalies in this year’s Kentucky Derby. No horse has ever won from pole position 1, the closest spot to the rail. One of the best jockeys of his generation, Irad Ortiz Jr., will be riding Renegade. Despite being a legendary jockey, Ortiz has never won the Kentucky Derby in nine attempts. Renegade’s trainer, Todd Pletcher, who has won the Derby twice, will be hoping to break those two trends.
So Happy has the next-best odds at 6/1. There has been massive odds movement on So Happy, who opened at 15/1. Part of that odds movement has been because of the confidence in the legendary Mike Smith, who will be aboard So Happy for the race. Mike Smith will be the oldest jockey to ever race in the Kentucky Derby at 59 years old. This will be Smith’s 28th mount at the Kentucky Derby, the most in the history of the race. He has two career wins.
Commandment and Further Ado are both listed at 7/1 and are both trained by the great Brad Cox. Cox has only one Kentucky Derby win, but is one of the best trainers in the sport and seems due for more. Two brilliant jockeys will be riding these horses, Luis Saez and John Velasquez. The legendary Johnny Velasquez is just one of 11 jockeys in history to win at least three Kentucky Derbys, winning most recently in 2020.
Chief Wallabee is an unusual horse in this race. Chief Wallabee was a prized horse and competed in some of the biggest races leading up to this Derby. He finished third in the Florida Derby and has not won any of those major races despite being very competitive. However, the great trainer Bill Mott has decided to put blinkers on Chief Wallabee, and that has had a positive impact on him ever since.
My favorite bet for this year’s Kentucky Derby is an exacta box of Commandment and Chief Wallabee. The Florida Derby was the best race of the year so far in terms of top-quality competition that will be racing in this Kentucky Derby. Commandment won that race. The Brad Cox-trained horse has won all of its past four races leading up to the Derby. Luis Saez is an amazing jockey who has never won the Kentucky Derby. This is a great chance for Saez to finally get that win at Churchill Downs.
Chief Wallabee is my other pick for this exacta box. Chief Wallabee is trained by the great Bill Mott, who won the Kentucky Derby last year with Sovereignity. Junior Alverado will be the jockey on Chief Wallabee. Alverado was also the jockey for Sovereignity in last year’s big win. The duo of Mott and Alverado is looking for their second win in a row here at Churchill Downs. Chief Wallabee finished in third at the Florida Derby and second at the Fountain of Youth, but finally won in his last race at Gulfstream Park. The horse has been running great at Churchill Downs since Mott decided to put blinders on him. This could be Chief Wallabee’s chance at redemption over the horses that beat him in Florida.
The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
All the coverage for the 152nd Kentucky Derby can be found on NBC, NBCSN and Peacock.
The undercard begins at Noon ET, with those races airing on Peacock. NBC’s live coverage of Derby Day begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. That will feature interviews with jockeys, trainers, and owners, picks from experts, and the undercard races. The Kentucky Derby has a post time of 6:57 p.m. ET.
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