1. Further Ado
Owner/Trainer: Spendthrift Farm/Brad Cox
Gun Runner —Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa
Breeder: John C. Oxley (KY)
Some of his six Blue Grass Stakes (G1) rivals, in particular John Battaglia Memorial Stakes winner Great White, stood well above him in the paddock, but the modestly sized Further Ado used his fluid stride to overset their size advantage and skipped to an 11-length victory. If he can perform at the same level at Churchill Downs, where he won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) last fall but in less dazzling fashion, he will be a force in the Run for the Roses. John Velazquez—a three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1), four if you count the ultimately disqualified Medina Spirit in 2021—picks up the ride with Irad Ortiz Jr. sticking with Renegade.
Watch: King Reviews Lexington, Talks Chief Wallabee's Arrival
2. Renegade
Owner/Trainer: Repole Stable and Robert and Lawana Low/Todd Pletcher
Into Mischief —Spice Is Nice, by Curlin
Breeder: Robert and Lawana Low (KY)
Ortiz, who had also been aboard Further Ado this year, remains on Renegade, the late-running Arkansas Derby (G1) and Sam F. Davis Stakes winner. A Kentucky Derby victory has proven elusive for Ortiz, whose best finish in nine prior mounts is a fourth. Perspective is warranted given the challenge posed by the Derby, which has the largest field in North American Thoroughbred racing, up to 20 horses. Hall of Famer Pat Day, for instance, did not secure his first Derby victory until his 10th attempt, piloting Lil E. Tee to an upset win in 1992, and Day finished his career 1-for-22 in the race. Hall of Fame riders such as Alex Solis and Garrett Gomez never won it.
3. Commandment
Owner/Trainer: Wathnan Racing/Cox
Into Mischief—Sippican Harbor, by Orb
Breeder: Lee Pokoik (KY)
Luis Saez, who teamed with Cox to win the 2021 Belmont Stakes (G1) with Essential Quality , gains the ride on Commandment, winner of the Florida Derby (G1) under Flavien Prat, after the latter jockey stays with Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Emerging Market. Saez, 0-0-1 in 12 Derby rides, crossed the wire first in the 2019 Derby aboard Maximum Security , though he ultimately was demoted and placed 17th for interference. The rider's hard-riding style should be well suited to Commandment, who brings a determined finish to his races, as illustrated in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) even before the Florida Derby.
4. Chief Wallabee
Owner/Trainer: Michael and Katherine Ball/Bill Mott
Constitution —A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro
Breeder: Mike Ball and Katherine Ball (KY)
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott gave this colt a workout test in blinkers in an April 11 workout at Payson Park Training Center with older graded stakes-winning stablemate Batten Down in which they were clocked covering a half-mile in :49 3/5. Mott told Daily Racing Form he was likely to add them in the Derby—a move intended to improve the colt's focus. Recall what Mott said after Chief Wallabee's third in the Florida Derby, "As well as he was traveling on the bridle, when (jockey Junior Alvarado) released him, he thought he would probably quicken a little more." The risk with blinkers is that they can make some horses keen. He arrived at Churchill Downs April 14.
While getting a bath, Florida Derby winner Commandment was keeping a watchful eye on familiar foe Chief Wallabee’s arrival. pic.twitter.com/2DQSKfJcdp
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) April 14, 2026
5. The Puma
Owner/Trainer: OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, and High Step Racing/Gustavo Delgado
Essential Quality —Eve of War, by Declaration of War
Breeder: Hidden Brook Farm and Brian Kahn (KY)
In a Florida Derby in which he was nailed in a head-bobbing finish on the wire, ground loss may have cost him. He covered 17 more feet than that rival and had the widest trip altogether in the six-horse field, which was partly because of his outside draw and breaking a half-step slowly. He also was wide in winning the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) three weeks earlier when again drawn wide. He's prone to flat-footed breaks, a concern in the scramble for position in the Derby but, on form, figures, and trips, he is a legit Derby contender for many of the connections that won the 2023 Derby with Mage .
6. Silent Tactic
Owner/Trainer: John C. Oxley/Mark Casse
Tacitus —Magical Sign, by Gun Runner
Breeder: Don Alberto Corporation (KY)
Cristian Torres will ride in the Derby for the first time aboard Silent Tactic, the late-running winner of the Southwest Stakes (G3). Derby wins are rare for those having their first rides in the race—not surprisingly, as they are often on longshots—but several have pulled off wins this century in their Derby debuts: Stewart Elliott (2004, Smarty Jones), Mario Gutierrez (2012, I'll Have Another), and Sonny Leon (2022, Rich Strike ). Torres knows Silent Tactic well, having ridden him in his last three starts at Oaklawn Park, including when second to Renegade in the March 28 Arkansas Derby.
7. Emerging Market
Owner/Trainer: Klaravich Stables/Chad Brown
Candy Ride —Wild Empress, by Empire Maker
Breeder: Stoneriggs Farm (KY)
Trainer Chad Brown has the Louisiana Derby winner in South Florida training for the Derby. He breezed 4 furlongs in :49 2/5 April 12 at Payson Park, and is scheduled to have one more breeze there next week before his trainer sends him north to Kentucky around April 19. Brown has two other horses qualified for the Derby in the Gotham Stakes (G3) winner Iron Honor and Blue Grass runner-up Ottinho, but those horses—who would be longshots—might not compete. Brown told BloodHorse he will monitor them in the coming weeks before deciding. Awaiting the second leg of the Triple Crown, the May 16 Preakness Stakes (G1)—a race Brown has won twice with Derby-skipping horses—might be an option for one or both of them.
8. Potente
Owner/Trainer: Speedway Stables/Bob Baffert
Into Mischief—Sweet Sting, by Awesome Again
Breeder: Pam and Martin Wygod (KY)
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert—tied with Ben Jones for most victories by a trainer in Derby history with six—returns to Churchill Downs with the head-turning Potente, a $2.4 million purchase from Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale a couple years ago. The San Felipe Stakes (G2) winner and Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up is physically striking. Into Mischief—also the sire of Renegade and Commandment—can become the winningest stallion in Derby history if one of his 3-year-olds can take another Derby, giving him a fourth in the classic after earlier success from Authentic (2020), Mandaloun (2021), and Sovereignty (2025).
9. So Happy
Owner/Trainer: Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners/Mark Glatt
Runhappy—So Cunning, by Blame
Breeder: Leverett S. Miller (KY)
Robbie Norman of Norman Stables, who had his first Derby horse last year with the Lonnie Briley-trained Coal Battle, who ran 11th, is back in the Derby for a second consecutive year, this time as co-owner with Saints or Sinners in Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy. Though this colt's sire, Runhappy, was a champion sprinter, some of his progeny have run long, notably 1 1/8-mile winner So Happy and Smile Happy, a multiple graded stakes-winning router who ran eighth in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. So Happy's 59-year-old Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, already a dual Derby winner, could surpass Bill Shoemaker as the oldest jockey to win the Derby with a third win.
10. Pavlovian
Owner/Trainer: Reddam Racing/Doug O'Neill
Pavel —Mandy's Grace, by Bellamy Road
Breeder: Reddam Racing (CA)
His form was forgettable through January, illustrated by six consecutive losses after graduating from the maiden ranks, including five defeats vs. California-breds. But he's turned the corner recently with the re-addition of blinkers. First, he upset Express Kid in the Feb. 15 Sunland Park Derby, and then he proved a stubborn foe against Emerging Market in the March 21 Louisiana Derby, losing by a head. A homebred for Paul Reddam of Reddam Racing, Pavlovian is by both a sire and a dam that raced for Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill.
11. Albus
Owner/Trainer: Pin Oak Stud/Riley Mott
Yaupon —Adream, by Bernardini
Breeder: Susan Casner (KY)
Two Pin Oak runners, both trained by Riley Mott, complete the final spots in the Derby Dozen rankings. Both are coming off recent prep victories, but not at the highest level. Of the two, giving the slight edge to Albus, given that he won the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), a two-turn, 1 1/8-mile race, compared to the ungraded, one-turn Virginia Derby, which Incredibolt won. Jockey Jaime Torres stays aboard Incredibolt in the Derby, clearing the way for Manny Franco to ride Albus, a colt who showed his versatility by rating well off a hot pace in the Wood.
12. Incredibolt
Owner/Trainer: Pin Oak Stud/Riley Mott
Bolt d'Oro —Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again
Breeder: Deann Baer and Greg Baer DVM (KY)
Torres remains on this 3-year-old, as he has been throughout Incredibolt's five-race career. Besides his 4-length score in the March 14 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, Incredibolt twice won at Churchill Downs last year, including in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles and around two turns. Some well-bet Virginia Derby participants have disappointed in recent starts, such as third-place Confessional, fifth in the Lexington Stakes (G3), and fourth-place Buetane, 11th in the Wood Memorial. Sixth-place Ocelli did come back with a third in the Wood.
