The 2026 version of the Run for the Roses will be the 152nd Kentucky Derby, coming up on Saturday, May 2 and we now know the field of 20 and the post positions. The Kentucky Derby draw was held between races on Saturday, April 25, as Churchill Downs has become the hub of horse racing for the next week.
There can’t be too many connections pleased with how the post draw played out, but there also aren’t a lot of connections overly disappointed in the draw. The most notable draws are favorite Renegade in the No. 1 post, opening odds co-second favorite Further Ado all the way out in the 18 post, and Fulleffort in the far outside post at 20, a horse that a lot of handicappers have liked in the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep series.
2026 Kentucky Derby Post Draw
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Renegade | I. Ortiz Jr. | T. Pletcher | 4-1 |
| 2 | Albus | M. Franco | R. Mott | 30-1 |
| 3 | Intrepido | H. Berrios | J. Mullins | 50-1 |
| 4 | Litmus Test | M. Garcia | B. Baffert | 30-1 |
| 5 | Right To Party | C. Elliott | K. McPeek | 30-1 |
| 6 | Commandment | L. Saez | B. Cox | 6-1 |
| 7 | Danon Bourbon | A. Nishimura | M. Ikezoe | 20-1 |
| 8 | So Happy | M. Smith | M. Glatt | 15-1 |
| 9 | The Puma | J. Castellano | G. Delgado | 10-1 |
| 10 | Wonder Dean | R. Sakai | D. Takayanagi | 30-1 |
| 11 | Incredibolt | J. Torres | R. Mott | 20-1 |
| 12 | Chief Wallabee | J. Alvarado | B. Mott | 8-1 |
| 13 | Silent Tactic | C. Torres | M. Casse | 20-1 |
| 14 | Potente | J. Hernandez | B. Baffert | 20-1 |
| 15 | Emerging Market | C. Brown | F. Prat | 15-1 |
| 16 | Pavlovian | E. Maldonado | D. O’Neill | 30-1 |
| 17 | Six Speed | B. Hernandez Jr. | B. Seemar | 50-1 |
| 18 | Further Ado | J. Velazquez | B. Cox | 6-1 |
| 19 | Golden Tempo | J. Ortiz | C. DeVaux | 30-1 |
| 20 | Fulleffort | T. Gaffalione | B. Cox | 20-1 |
These are the opening line odds right after the Kentucky Derby draw was announced.
Note: There are four Also Eligibles that would draw the outermost posts if they were to slot in due to scratches. They are Great White, Ocelli, Robusta, and Corona De Oro.
Mike Somich’s Kentucky Derby Draw Winners and Losers
Our expert horse racing analyst Mike Somich, who hit the superfecta in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, broke down his thoughts on the draw with Matt Brown on Ready, Set, Bet shortly after the post positions were released.
Mike will have more thoughts in written form in a couple days with additional insight into the post draw and also the expected pace of the race.
Kentucky Derby Post Draw Winners
By no means would I consider myself as sharp as Mike when it comes to horse handicapping, but here are my thoughts on some winners and losers.
12. Chief Wallabee – This isn’t the most profitable post by any means and Tiztastic only ran 10th from the 12 spot last year, but it’s the right draw for the horse. Junior Alvarado can sit in the pocket and stalk from this spot because the horse can break better than some around him and also some of the outside horses pushing towards the front of the line can help his trip.
Blinkers are being added by Bill Mott here as well and that should help given the volume of this field. He battled Commandment once before, back in the Fountain of Youth and we might get that again here.
6. Commandment – Everybody seems to universally agree that Commandment got a good placement here as well. Brad Cox was excited about this post position and rider Luis Saez has the chance to run whatever race he wants here. He can try and push up and pressure the leaders. He can sit in the pocket and stalk. He can start out in front of the other stalkers and possibly even keep Renegade pinned further back.
Commandment should also be able to avoid any stumbles or from the longer shots on either side of him, especially Danon Bourbon to his right. That’s a great horse, but Atsuya Nishimura doesn’t have experience in this type of race with this field size. He might trip up others to his right, but Commandment should steer clear.
Kentucky Derby Post Draw Losers
1. Renegade – You have to go back to 1986 to find the last horse that won from the far inside post. It’s by no means a death sentence, especially for a deep closer like Renegade, but it’s certainly not ideal. The 1 post has gotten into the money under 20% of the time since the Kentucky Derby began using a starting gate back in 1930, but that still grades better than posts 4, 6, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 20.
The toughest part with the rail draw here is that the field has 20 horses and most of the riders are trying to create the shortest trip possible by moving to the inside, so there’s a ton of bumping and bouncing. Fortunately, Todd Pletcher has arguably the sport’s best rider in Irad Ortiz Jr. in the mount.
11. Incredibolt – Personally, I think this is a bad draw for Incredibolt. There are two overseas entries to his pretty immediate left and they can have a tough time getting started on the American dirt in this race with the massive field and the unique environment. So Happy and The Puma both seem to have gotten pretty good positions for their running styles.
To his right, Incredibolt has to deal with Chief Wallabee, who is widely regarded as having the best draw of any of the 20, and Potente, who Juan Hernandez is going to try and push as close to the front as possible. Pavlovian and Six Speed will also be trying to come across. It’s a tough spot to be in and a big reason why this post has only been in the money about 14% of the time.
The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for a 6:57 p.m. ET post time on Saturday, May 2. Our Kentucky Derby Betting Guide is scheduled for a Tuesday release and now is a great time to take advantage of our Triple Crown Special, a $14.99 subscription for VSiN Pro access from now through the Belmont Stakes on June 6.
Be sure to hear more analysis from Mike leading up to the Kentucky Derby on the VSiN At The Track podcast.
