Kentucky Derby 2026: Live updates, start time, betting odds, results
Los Angeles Times • • sports
Key Points:
- NBC's "Premier League Live" studio show returned to Churchill Downs for the third year during the Kentucky Oaks and Derby, with host Rebecca Lowe sharing a humorous personal story behind her Derby pick, Chief Wallabee.
- Trainer Bob Baffert praised Crude Velocity, a promising 3-year-old with three wins including the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, as a standout colt potentially targeting the Preakness after the Derby.
- Trainer Chad Brown found success with inexperienced horses, winning the Kentucky Oaks with Always a Runner and entering Emerging Market in the Derby, both having only two prior starts and wins.
- Several graded stakes races on Friday featured notable winners including Yellow Card in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, Corporate Power in the Alysheba, and Shred the Gnar in the La Troienne, highlighting strong performances ahead of Derby weekend.
- The Kentucky Derby field shrank below 20 starters after The Puma, a leading contender, was scratched due to a skin infection, leaving the betting market wide open with multiple horses sharing similar odds as favorites.
