2026 Kentucky Derby Odds, Post Positions, Picks: Renegade Favorite, So Happy Surging
Kentucky Derby odds for the 2026 event are shaping up, as the 152nd Run for the Roses draws closer. The Triple Crown opener takes place on May 2.
Renegade is the favorite in 2026 Kentucky Derby odds, but might have already drawn some early bad luck, landing the No. 1 post.
Check back for updates on odds to win the Kentucky Derby, and use our FanDuel Racing promo code to get the most out of your action in 2026.
(Feature image: Matt Stone/Imagn Images)
2026 Kentucky Derby Odds
Renegade Modest Favorite
LATEST UPDATE: Parimutuel betting opened Tuesday, and there's already been some shuffling around in odds to win the Kentucky Derby. Five horses in the full field are at 10/1 or shorter, with Renegade still leading the way, though he's slipped from 4/1 to 5/1.
Further Ado remains the 6/1 co-second choice, but now joined by So Happy, who's made a sizable early move from Saturday's 15/1 opener. Commandment was the 6/1 co-second choice and slipped a tick to 7/1, along with The Puma, who's improved from 10/1.
TwinSpires sports analyst Jared DeRossett still thinks the post-time favorite will come the original top three horses in the field.
"Renegade, Commandment and Further Ado should be duking it out for who goes off as post-time favorite," DeRossett said. "With Renegade getting that rail post, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Commandment or Further Ado take over as the favorite."
Further Ado is breaking from the No. 18 gate and Commandment from the No. 6 slot.
"Further Ado is the horse that took one of the bigger leaps from [the last Derby futures pool] to morning-line odds, 17/1 to 6/1," DeRossett said. "The futures pool closed on the April 4, prior to the running of the Blue Grass Stakes, in which Further Ado dominated by 11 lengths, albeit vs a weak field.
"So that is the main reason for the price drop."
Similarly, So Happy leapt from 93/1 in futures to 15/1 after Saturday's post draw, largely due to an impressive Santa Anita Derby victory on April 4. Since betting opened Tuesday, as noted above, So Happy has continued to climb the 2026 Kentucky Derby odds board.
After Saturday's post draw, Chief Wallabee opened as the 8/1 fourth choice. But since betting opened Tuesday, he's slid out to the 13/1 seventh choice.
"I'm kind of surprised by Chief Wallabee's move," DeRossett said. "He's a horse that I like. He’s been beaten by Commandment twice at Gulfstream. But I think with the addition of blinkers, plus the connections – jockey Junior Alvarado and trainer Bill Mott – this horse could pop."
DeRossett is also intrigued by Emerging Market, who will break from the No. 15 post. He's shortened a bit, from 15/1 to 12/1.
"He's certainly the greenest horse in the field, but ran a good race against a decent field, winning the Louisiana Derby in March," DeRossett said. "He draws a good position and has the potential to run a big one, with Flavien Prat on the mount.
"It's a big step up in class, but think Emerging Market has some more upside left. Chief Wallabee and Emerging Market seem to be wise-guy horses early in the week. Especially Emerging Market, with Flavien's track record in Triple Crown races."
Indeed, in 16 Triple Crown mounts, Prat has two wins, two seconds, seven thirds and four fourth-place finishes.
OPENING ODDS UPDATE: Kentucky Derby futures were up for a few months, but those closed a few weeks ago. Saturday's post draw at Churchill Downs, a week before race day, led to fresh numbers on Kentucky Derby odds from TwinSpires Racing.
After the draw, Renegade opened as the 4/1 favorite, despite landing the No. 1 post. The last time a horse won from that position was 40 years ago, when Ferdinand did so in the 1986 Run for the Roses.
Still, Renegade's track record merits the tag of favorite. He's coming off back-to-back wins in a pair of Derby prep races, taking the Sam F. Davis on Feb. 7 and the Arkansas Derby on March 28.
"The No. 1 post has certainly been the kiss of death and may cause some reluctancy for bettors," TwinSpires analyst Jared DeRossett said. "However, I don't think that'll keep Renegade from remaining the favorite, just based on his connections and body of work.
"I think as we get closer to post time, people are gonna hammer the favorite."
Renegade is trained by Todd Pletcher, who has two Kentucky Derby wins to his credit, in 2010 with Super Saver and 2017 with Always Dreaming.
Further Ado and Commandment opened as the 6/1 co-second choice in odds to win the Kentucky Derby. Commandment drew the sixth post, while Further Ado will start from outside at No. 18 among the 20 entries.
Commandment is on a four-race win streak, including two Derby preps. On Feb. 28, he won the Fountain of Youth, then followed with a Florida Derby victory on March 28.
Further Ado has three firsts and a second in his last four starts. He ran in two Derby preps, taking second to The Puma in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby, then winning the Blue Grass on April 4.
The Puma is the 10/1 fifth choice in 2026 Kentucky Derby odds, just behind 8/1 Chief Wallabee. The Puma will break from gate No. 9, and Chief Wallabee is in the 12th slot.
Kentucky Derby Post Positions 🏇
Post positions, followed by opening Morning Line odds from Saturday, April 25:
- Renegade (4-1)
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher
- Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
- Albus (30-1)
- Trainer: Riley Mott
- Jockey: Manny Franco
- Intrepido (50-1)
- Trainer: Jeff Mullins
- Jockey: Hector Berrios
- Litmus Test (30-1)
- Trainer: Bob Baffert
- Jockey: TBD
- Right to Party (30-1)
- Trainer: Kenny McPeek
- Jockey: Chris Elliott
- Commandment (6-1)
- Trainer: Brad Cox
- Jockey: Luis Saez
- Danon Bourbon (20-1)
- Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe
- Jockey: Atsuya Nishimura
- So Happy (15-1)
- Trainer: Mark Glatt
- Jockey: Mike Smith
- The Puma (10-1)
- Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
- Jockey: Javier Castellano
- Wonder Dean (30-1)
- Trainer: Daisuke Takayanagi
- Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
- Incredibolt (20-1)
- Trainer: Riley Mott
- Jockey: Jaime Torres
- Chief Wallabee (8-1)
- Trainer: Bill Mott
- Jockey: Junior Alvarado
- Silent Tactic (20-1)
- Trainer: Mark Casse
- Jockey: Cristian Torres
- Potente (20-1)
- Trainer: Bob Baffert
- Jockey: Juan Hernandez
- Emerging Market (15-1)
- Trainer: Chad Brown
- Jockey: Flavien Prat
- Pavlovian (30-1)
- Trainer: Doug O'Neill
- Jockey: Edwin Maldonado
- Six Speed (50-1)
- Trainer: Bhupat Seemar
- Jockey: TBD
- Further Ado (18-1)
- Trainer: Brad Cox
- Jockey: John Velazquez
- Golden Tempo (30-1)
* Trainer: Cherie Devaux
* Jockey: Jose Ortiz - Fulleffort (20-1)
* Trainer: Brad Cox
* Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
2026 Kentucky Derby Info
Race: 12
Purse: $5 million
Distance: 1 1/4 Miles
Surface: Dirt
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Post-Time: 6:57 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Venue: Churchill Downs
Location: Louisville, Ky.
The Kentucky Derby field has a maximum of 20 horses, who must qualify to enter. The qualifying process is often termed Road to the Kentucky Derby. Horses compete in set races to earn points toward qualification.
Kentucky Derby Online Betting 2025
Hundreds of thousands of fans look forward to betting on the Kentucky Derby. Odds and predictions will change as the 151st Kentucky Derby draws near.
Some prefer early Kentucky Derby online betting, perhaps in the futures market, before the draw is held. Others wait for the day of the Run for the Roses to place their bets.
From there, where should you place your bet? VegasInsider recommends official Kentucky Derby Betting Partner TwinSpires.
Morning Line Odds for the Kentucky Derby are available during race week. The official morning-line odds are announced after the post positions for the field have been set.
Types Of Kentucky Derby Betting
Futures Betting
Kentucky Derby futures wagering is a great option for all those who enjoy early betting. This type of bet is usually available throughout the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races.
Win, Place & Show Bets
Win, place and show bets are types of wagers that new players usually stick to. Just like the name suggests, a win bet is a bet placed on the horse that you hope to win the Kentucky Derby.
With place bets, you can get a return if your selection finishes first, second, or sometimes even fourth or fifth depending on the bookie’s offer. It goes without saying that the odds are much lower, but this type of bet is more reassuring.
Show bet is the next in line. It’s quite simple - you win if your selection finishes in the top three. As you probably imagine, this bet comes with lower risk, but also a lower payoff.
Of course, it’s up to you to decide which one of these options is the best for you. There are also some other, maybe slightly more complicated types of wagers. But once you get familiar with them, you’ll see that they can be easily understood. So, let’s get started!
Exacta Bet
If you’ve already tried some of the previous types of bets and you’d like to try something new when it comes to Kentucky Derby online betting, exacta is the next one on our list we’d like to discuss.
In this type of bet, you have to choose two runners who you’ll think will finish first and second, but in exact order. That’s what makes this type of bet more complicated compared to those we discussed earlier. Of course, bigger risk means bigger potential payouts.
Trifecta Bet
Another type of bet that you can try is trifecta bet. It’s similar to an exacta, but just like the name suggests, this type of wager involves three horses. Choose three runners you think will finish in the top three, in the exact order, and wait for the outcome of the race.
If the “exact order” part of the bet is what bothers you, there’s another option called a boxed trifecta wager. With this modified trifecta bet, you also have to choose three horses, but the order is not important.
History Of The Kentucky Derby
Capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival, the race is also known as "the most exciting two minutes in sports".
Popularly called the Run for the Roses because of the blanket of roses draped over the Derby winner, the first Derby took place in 1875. Since then, it has been held annually in Louisville, Ky., without interruption – not even during the Great Depression and both World Wars.
The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the American Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes, then the Belmont Stakes.
Only 13 horses have won all three races in the Triple Crown, in those 151 runnings. Justify was the last horse to win the Triple Crown, in 2018.
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151st Kentucky Derby Betting Results
Sovereignty, a 7/1 betting choice, won the 2025 Kentucky Derby under jockey Junior Alvarado. Sovereignty ran by 3/1 favorite Journalism late in the race.
It was the second Derby win for trainer Bill Mott. It was the first Derby victory for Alvarado. Sovereignty paid out $17.96 on a $2 bet. Anyone who hit the Sovereignty/Journalism exacta got paid out $48.32 cents on a $2 bet.
The trifecta of Sovereignty/Journalism/Baez paid 231.12 on a $1 bet, and the superfecta of Sovereignty/Journalism/Baez/Final Gambit paid out a hefty $1,682,27 on a $1 bet.
2025 Kentucky Derby Results
(Win-Place-Show)
1) 18 Sovereignty ($17.96, $7.50, $5.58)
2) 8 Journalism ($4.94, $3.70)
3) Baeza ($5.58)
2025 Kentucky Derby Payouts
- $2 Exacta (18-8): $48.32
- $1 Trifecta (18-8-21): $231.12
- $1 Superfecta (18-8-21-3): $1,682.27
2025 Kentucky Derby Finish Order
Finish order, with post in parentheses and each horse's odds:
- (18) Sovereignty (5-1)
- (8) Journalism (3-1)
- (21) Baeza (12-1)
- (4) Final Gambit (30-1)
- (20) Owen Almighty (30-1)
- (9) Burnham Square (12-1)
- (17) Sandman (6-1)
- (12) East Avenue (20-1)
- (19) Chunk of Gold (30-1)
- (14) Tiztastic (20-1)
- (16) Coal Battle (30-1)
- (7) Luxor Cafe (15-1)
- (2) Neoequos (30-1)
- (13) Publisher (20-1)
- (1) Citizen Bull (20-1)
- (5) American Promise (30-1)
- (15) Render Judgment (30-1)
- (11) Flying Mohawk (30-1)
- (6) Admire Daytona (30-1)
Kentucky Derby Winners (Last 10)
2025 - Sovereignty
2024 - Mystik Dan
2023 - Mage
2022 - Rich Strike
2021 - *Medina Spirit (Mandaloun)
2020 - Authentic
2019 - Country House
2018 - Justify
2017 - Always Dreaming
2016 - Nyquist
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