Horsemen are plenty familiar with entering horses in races only to land on the also-eligible list, but hopes, concerns, and pressures rocket to another level when that also-eligible list is for the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1).
Trainer Eric Reed knows those feelings better than anyone in the world. He saw the fruition of that also-eligible Derby dream when his Rich Strike squeezed into the 2022 Derby field just minutes before the deadline. The son of Keen Ice then started from the widest position, post 20, as Derby also-eligibles receive outside posts. Forgotten early during the race, he rallied from 18th and soared past runners in the stretch under Sonny Leon to secure an 80-1 upset win.
Derby also-eligible master Reed says the four horsemen who opted to enter this year's Derby May 2 at Churchill Downs through the AE option chose wisely. If things go their way, the rewards are great. And, Reed added, even if things don't go their way it's still an amazing week.
"Don't get caught up in what the handicappers are saying; they don't know anything," Reed said. "Take the shot. Win or lose, just know it's going to be a day you remember forever, whether you've been in the race before or not. And look for some good signs, because you never know.
"I still get goosebumps talking about it; I'm getting them now."
Reed is the only trainer to send out a Derby winner from the also-eligible list, which Churchill Downs reinstated in 2012. It allows for up to four horses to be entered as also-eligibles, which means they only make the field if another horse is scratched before the deadline of 9 a.m. the Friday before the race. (Churchill previously allowed AEs for the Derby in 1983-84).
Horses entered in the 2026 Kentucky Derby as also-eligibles, in order, include John Battaglia Memorial Stakes winner Great White (21) for trainer John Ennis, Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) third-place finisher Ocelli (22) for trainer Whit Beckman, San Felipe runner-up Robusta (23) for trainer Doug O'Neill, and Lexington Stakes (G3) third-place finisher Corona de Oro (24) for trainer Dallas Stewart.
Churchill's main Road to the Kentucky Derby uses a points system to determine most of the field, which also can include some overseas-based runners from other Derby-qualifying paths. Churchill also uses that main qualifying points system to determine the order that also-eligibles will draw into the race.
On the morning of April 25, the day of the Derby draw, horsemen received a reminder of how fluid the expected Derby field can be when Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen decided Risen Star Stakes (G2) runner-up Chip Honcho would skip the Derby and be pointed to the Preakness Stakes (G1). Suddenly, the connections of grade 2 winner Litmus Test, who woke up that morning thinking they'd be on the also-eligible list for the Derby, saw their horse draw into the main field. Later that day, Litmus Test was assigned post 4 and morning-line odds of 30-1.
That moved Great White into the first also-eligible slot when the John Battaglia winner was entered in the Kentucky Derby. This year, thanks to a regulatory change, trainers on the also-eligible list for the Derby also can enter their horses in other graded stakes races on the day's Churchill card. Noting that the rule makes decisions a bit easier for horsemen with ready runners, Ennis took advantage by entering Great White in the Derby as well as Saturday's Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2).
Ennis said the plan is to run in the Derby if Great White draws into the field. If that doesn't happen, the gray or roan gelded son of Volatile will race in the Pat Day Mile.
"It's a fantastic option that this has been added," Ennis said.
Video
Unfortunately for the connections of Ocelli, the rule doesn't work as well. He is grade 2 placed but still a maiden. The other Derby Day race Beckman had his eye on was a maiden special weight, but those races are not eligible for cross entries in the Derby. He was only entered in the Derby.
"If he doesn't make the Derby, the good news is there are a lot of opportunities for him," Beckman said. "They have all of those stakes races at Laurel on Preakness weekend. There are opportunities in Kentucky, and there are several maiden race options. I'll have to make that decision, but the good news is that for a horse like him there are other opportunities."
While both of Great White's career wins have come on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park, Ennis is looking forward to another dirt start after he ran fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1). Considering the step up in class, the fifth-place finish was solid. Beyond that, Ennis thinks Great White could fare better in a second try with a change of approach. In the Blue Grass, he went to the lead through a quarter-mile in :23.60 and a half-mile in :47.71 before fading.
"We want him up there, but he doesn't really want the lead," Ennis said. "He's best showing speed but racing off another horse or two."
While enjoying the Derby experience certainly is a big factor, horsemen who choose to enter through the also-eligible route typically have reason for hope.
"We're having fun," Beckman acknowledged, "but he is an improving horse and he's capable of competing at this level."
Beckman noted that Reed's success is likely in the back of every trainer's mind.
"If you make it into the race, the trip seems to be everything in the Derby. All of these horses can run, so if you get some luck, get your trip ..."
Reed, Ennis, and Beckman all agreed that the also-entered horses have all of their major work complete. It's the human connections that find themselves in a bit of an odd spot ahead of their Derby dreams. After all, for that dream to take a step toward reality, the hopes of another horse's connections have to end.
"I know what it takes to get to the Derby and I know how disappointing it would be if you had a horse that was scratched from the race. But if that scratch should occur, we'll be happy to fill in that spot," Beckman said. "It will not ruin my life if he doesn't get in. It won't even ruin my weekend, but he's in as an also-eligible and it will be fun to see how it plays out."
Reed said horsemen understand the situation.
"You never want someone's horse to miss the Derby, but I've been doing this long enough to know that in a field of 20, a horse might come up sick or have an ill-timed, minor injury that may sideline them," Reed said. "There are no ill wishes, but I think every horseman knows these things happen."
As it played out for Reed and owner Rick Dawson's Rich Strike, the trainer found out 15 minutes before scratch time that they would get the opportunity to race. From the time of entries that year on May 2, until the early morning hours of May 6, it didn't look like Rich Strike would get his chance.
But opportunity knocked in the waning minutes before closing scratch time at 9 a.m. the morning before the race, when trainer D. Wayne Lukas pulled grade 2-placed Ethereal Road from the race, clearing the way for Rich Strike to start. Ethereal Road, who also had picked up some points with a fourth-place finish in the Lexington Stakes, would next race in the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness Stakes undercard.
On April 25 this year, Reed recalled that nerve-racking Friday from four years ago as if it were yesterday. As that fateful day went to the wire, Reed began to think, "Well at least we came close and this is the closest I've ever been."
That was especially frustrating for Reed because the horse had blossomed during his training at Churchill Downs.
"At that point, I thought he was going to run well. Now, honestly, I didn't think he would win but I thought if he got in, he would run well."
Reed recalls the joy of his staff and family when the horse made the race. Then a more familiar feeling returned. Reed works in a profession that prides itself on not missing a single detail. Those good times, and relief, soon yielded to a more familiar feeling for Reed, and many other trainers.
"After we celebrated him getting in, that's when I started thinking, 'I hope nothing happens to my horse,'" Reed said. "As a trainer, you have the two voices. One is saying, 'What if this happens? What if that happens? What if, what if, what if?' Then the other voice is finally telling the other, 'Be quiet so I can enjoy this.'"
