Kentucky

Who Will Be the Kentucky Derby 152 Favorite?

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2026

Who Will Be the Kentucky Derby 152 Favorite?

Renegade , the Todd Pletcher trainee, is expected to be the morning-line favorite for the 152nd Kentucky Derby (G1), but Churchill Downs morning line oddsmaker Nick Tammaro sees a wide-open race with Commandment and Further Ado forming a tightly grouped trio at the top.

“It would be foolish to ignore what’s happening in the market and the public reaction after the Arkansas Derby,” said Tammaro, who will set the Kentucky Derby morning line for the first time following the retirement of Mike Battaglia after 51 years at Churchill Downs. “Renegade has to be the favorite right now, but this isn’t a race where anyone is going to be odds-on or even close.”

Tammaro’s current projection lists Renegade at 9-2, Commandment at 5-1, and Further Ado at 6-1.

Commandment and Further Ado, both trained by Brad Cox, won their last start. Commandment took the Florida Derby (G1) over The Puma and Chief Wallabee , and Further Ado scored in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) by 11 lengths.

“I think Commandment is the most consistent horse in the field, and Further Ado fits right there as well,” Tammaro said. “In a typical race, you could make a case for any of the three on top. That’s what makes this Derby so competitive.”

Despite installing Renegade as the likely favorite, Tammaro acknowledged the colt’s position atop the market is far from clear-cut.

“From a pure handicapping standpoint, you can argue others have stronger credentials,” Tammaro said. “But the Derby isn’t run in a vacuum. You have to account for public perception, buzz and how the money is going to flow.”

Renegade was the 4-1 favorite in the final Kentucky Derby Future Wager that concluded before the running of the Blue Grass, Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4.

Commandment was 7-1, and Further Ado was the seventh choice at 17-1 in that same pool. The latter’s odds likely would have dropped if betting had closed after his dynamic effort in the Blue Grass.

With two weeks remaining, Tammaro emphasized how quickly that picture can change.

“This is the most fluid time of the year,” Tammaro said. “A strong work, a missed work, a good gallop, and even chatter on the backside can move the market. There’s always a ‘buzz horse’ that takes more money than expected.”You’re looking at a race where the favorite could be in that 4-1 to 9-2 range, with several others right behind him. That’s the definition of a competitive Derby.”

Entries and post positions for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) will take place Saturday, April 25, between Races 3-4 on the opening day program from 2:15-2:45 p.m. ET on the Paddock Terrace (weather permitting).

This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.

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Kentucky

Vanderbilt baseball’s series win vs Kentucky revelatory

Published

3 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Vanderbilt baseball’s series win vs Kentucky revelatory

Entering the weekend, Vanderbilt baseball had gotten swept in its only SEC series in which it hadn’t won the first game.

So the Commodores had a tough task in a series they badly needed after dropping the opener 5-2 on a walk-off grand slam after Vanderbilt’s best healthy starter, Connor Fennell, pitched well.

But the Commodores (24-17, 9-9 SEC) rebounded to take the series with an 8-7 win in the second game and a 13-6 win in the finale April 19. They did that despite not having any pitcher go more than three innings in either game. Though the pitching was still shaky at times — they issued more free passes than strikeouts in both of the wins — they worked out of enough jams to let the offense go to work.

Here’s what we learned from the series.

Will Hampton proves an unlikely hero for the offense

Vanderbilt got strong performances from a few of its typical top performers, including Braden Holcomb (6-for-13, four doubles) and Brodie Johnston (4-for-12, two home runs, three walks). But one of the biggest hits of the series came from the unlikeliest of sources.

Logan Johnstone was held out of the finale after colliding with Mike Mancini in Game 2, and in his place coach Tim Corbin opted to go with redshirt freshman Will Hampton in left field. Hampton had recorded just six college plate appearances, all of which were in nonconference games.

But Hampton reached in all three of his plate appearances against Kentucky, first on a single, then a walk. In the sixth inning, with the score tied, he came up with the bases loaded and two outs and blasted a grand slam, giving Vanderbilt its first lead.

Tyler Baird learns the ups and downs of being a closer

Freshman Tyler Baird has been Vanderbilt’s closer for the past three weeks, recording his first save April 2 against Texas A&M. But he learned the pitfalls that can come with that role in Game 1 against Kentucky. Summoned for an eight-out save with the Commodores leading 2-1, he retired the first five batters, but loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth. He struck out the next two batters but then gave up the walk-off grand slam.

Baird returned for Game 3, this time attempting a five-out save and coming in with runners on first and second and one out with a three-run lead in the eighth inning. He allowed both inherited runners to score, but kept the lead and then had a scoreless ninth inning after Vanderbilt scored three runs in the top of the inning.

Baird’s emergence has been key for the Commodores, and the Game 3 bounce-back was especially important.

Vanderbilt’s RPI shows improvement

On April 15, Vanderbilt was 95th in RPI, a mark that wasn’t going to cut it for NCAA Tournament selection. But with a road series win against a Kentucky team that started the week in the top 20 of RPI, the Commodores moved all the way up to 75th, according to Warren Nolan.

While Vanderbilt will need to keep moving up — a top-50 mark would be ideal — the series win did a lot. In the next two weeks, it will face two top-five RPI teams in Alabama and Texas, giving more opportunity to improve its standing.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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Kentucky

Missing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky

Published

15 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Missing on this PF in the transfer portal could be a good thing for Kentucky

Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.

It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.

Feb 11, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Sebastian Rancik (7) looks to pass the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.

Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.

There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.

Mar 7, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) warms up prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.

Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.

Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.

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Kentucky

Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report

Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.

One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.

Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.

The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.

Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.

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