The post positions are set for the 2026 Kentucky Derby and the draw presented this year’s favorite another obstacle to overcome. Renegade, the horse who will enter the 152nd Run for the Roses with the best odds to win, will start from the No. 1 post along the rail, a spot no horse has won the Kentucky Derby from since Ferdinand in 1986.

The curveball only adds to the wide-open feeling entering the first Triple Crown race of 2026 at Churchill Downs, with some experts believing as many as eight of the 20 horses in the field have a legitimate shot at winning the Kentucky Derby this year. The picks and predictions have varied accordingly during the lead-up to Derby week, though Renegade remains the pre-race favorite following the post position draw.

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, picks and predictions ahead of the 2026 Kentucky Derby, as well as how to watch the opening Triple Crown race of the year:

When is the 2026 Kentucky Derby?

The 2026 Kentucky Derby is set to be held on Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET and post time is scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET.

Kentucky Derby 2026 odds

Odds courtesy of kentuckyderby.com as of 2 p.m. ET on April 27

• Renegade (4-1)
• Further Ado (6-1)
• Commandment (6-1)
• Chief Wallabee (8-1)
• The Puma (10-1)
• So Happy (15-1)
• Emerging Market (20-1)
• Potente (20-1)
• Fulleffort (20-1)
• Incredibolt (20-1)
• Silent Tactic (20-1)
• Danon Bourbon (20-1)
• Wonder Dean (30-1)
• Golden Tempo (30-1)
• Pavlovian (30-1)
• Albus (30-1)
• Right to Party (30-1)
• Litmus Test (30-1)
• Six Speed (50-1)
• Intrepido (50-1)

As Mark Pope works frantically to build the 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball roster, we now have a high school reclassification candidate to monitor.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Pope is set to have an in-home visit with 5-star wing Ryan Hampton. Tipton also notes that Hampton is a reclass candidate, which he almost has to be for Pope to visit him at a time when nearly all of his focus is on next season’s roster.

Hampton does not currently hold a scholarship offer from the Wildcats, but that may very well come Monday.

The 6-foot-6 Texas native is the brother of former Kentucky recruit R.J. Hampton, a 5-star recruit in the class of 2019 who ended up playing in Australia before being drafted into the NBA, where he spent four years and now plays in China.

The younger Hampton, who plays at DME Academy in Florida, is ranked as high as fifth overall in the 2027 class by 247 Sports. He holds scholarship offers from Kansas, Indiana, Tennessee, SMU, Texas, Louisville, Nebraska, Texas A&M, NC State, and LSU, among others. He’s taken official visits to SMU, Nebraska, and NC State.

• Churchill Downs held a “Sunday Funday” event, marking the first Sunday of racing during Derby Week since 2010.
• The additional day of racing attracted both Kentucky Derby regulars and first-time attendees.
• Many visitors, including some from out of state, took the opportunity to dress in traditional, colorful Derby fashion.
• The event drew in tourists who were in Louisville for other reasons, such as bourbon tastings or family history research.

Sunday racing during Kentucky Derby Week returned on April 26, drawing both Derby regulars and newcomers.

Organizers dubbed the event “Sunday Funday,” marking the first time horse racing had been held at Churchill Downs Racetrack on a Sunday during Derby Week since 2010.

With gates opening at 11:30 a.m. and the first race post time at 12:45 p.m., it seemed some staffers and attendees came straight to the racetrack from church. 

“Some of us have to go to church and get blessed before we come,” said a woman dressed in her Sunday finest by the Paddock Gate, with 10 minutes to go before the gates opened for the day. 

“Some of us stay blessed,” another worker responded.

Billy and April Bensing were among those who took in the day’s racing from the Stakes Room & Balcony.

Speaking outside the Paddock Gate, the Shively couple — dressed in bright fluorescent orange and pink — said they typically attend 502’sDay, the Tuesday of Derby Week, each year with family and friends, largely because the crowds are thinner.

But when they heard Churchill Downs was adding a seventh day of racing to the eight-day Kentucky Derby schedule, they jumped at the chance to come for a second day without the kids. 

For Chad and Leslie Cooper of Jonesville, Louisiana, another day of racing meant another outfit to put together. This year marked their second visit to Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week, after having such a good time last year. 

“We came so far to do this, we’re going all out. It don’t matter if it’s low-key or not,” Leslie Cooper said.

She added, “Our kids are all grown and gone, so we can just enjoy ourselves.”

In contrast, Taiya Hardy was attending her first horse race. She also took the opportunity to wear a brightly colored spring dress on what started out as an overcast, chilly day that later turned abundantly sunny.

“Colorado doesn’t have clothes like these,” she said of the outfit and hat, the latter of which she purchased at Pix Shoes at 210 S. Preston St. in downtown Louisville.

Also coming to Churchill Downs for the first time were Jack and Kathy Arzooyan and their cousin, Wendy Franz. The Minnesota and Michigan residents, along with seven other family members, traveled to Kentucky this past week to search for a common ancestor.