All horses, latest odds, scratches, picks
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- The 2026 Kentucky Derby field has seen three scratches due to injuries: Silent Tactic (bruised foot), Fulleffort (bone chip in ankle), and Right to Party (lameness), with Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta added as replacements.
- Always a Runner won the 2026 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, covering 1⅛ miles in 1:48.82, with Meaning and Counting Stars finishing second and third respectively.
- The Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 2, with 20 horses competing; notable favorites include Commandment (7-1 odds), Renegade (5-1), and So Happy (6-1), and the race will be broadcast on NBC, USA Network, and streamed on Peacock.
- Jockey Mike Smith, at age 59, aims to become the oldest Kentucky Derby winner aboard So Happy, potentially surpassing the record set by Willie Shoemaker in 1986.
- Speculation surrounds whether Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have a stake in Derby contender The Puma and if they will attend the race, though the horse’s owner has not confirmed the rumors.
