The major Kentucky Derby qualifiers are now in the rearview mirror, and the 2026 Kentucky Derby is just a few weeks away. That means the 2026 Kentucky Derby field is beginning to solidify, though it won’t become official until the 2026 Kentucky Derby post draw on April 25. The Kentucky Derby 2026 will run at 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs.
The latest 2026 Kentucky Derby odds list Renegade as the 4-1 favorite after he swept the Arkansas Derby and Sam F. Davis Stakes in the past two months. Other 2026 Kentucky Derby contenders include Commandment (7-1), The Puma (12-1) and Chief Wallabee (13-1). Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
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A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has nailed the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double 12 times in the last 17 years. He also predicted the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and called the exacta in last year’s Preakness. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Kentucky Derby approaching and horse racing futures odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2026 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Chief Wallabee (13-1) even though he’s one of the favorites. Earlier Kentucky Derby futures had Chief Wallbee with even lower odds heading into the spring. The Bill Mott-trained colt’s outlook has faded a bit after losing twice to Commandment, once in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and again in the Florida Derby. The Puma also overtook him in the Florida Derby as Chief Wallabee settled for third.
Demling called Chief Wallabee’s first career win in January “eye-catching.” The fact that he wasn’t able to win one of the top prep races, however, brings a bit of concern, which is a big reason why Demling has Chief Wallabee barely hitting the board. See who to back at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Fulleffort, even though he’s a longshot at 23-1. Fulleffort has hit the board in every career race and hasn’t finished worse than second place in his past five runs. He’ll enter the Kentucky Derby off a win at the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and Demling believes he’ll thrive at the 1 1/4 mile distance if he can get comfortable on the dirt track.
“The Brad Cox-trained winner of the Jeff Ruby Steaks will relish the added distance, but has to overcome the question if he can run on dirt,” Demling told SportsLine. “He reminds me a lot of last year’s Ruby Steaks winner — Final Gambit — who finished fourth in the Derby for Cox.” See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make Kentucky Derby futures bets at TwinSpires here with the offer code CBSSPORTS:
How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is also high on an epic double-digit longshot who “demolished the field” in his last start. Anyone who backs this colt could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2026, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 12 Derby-Oaks doubles.
