The 19-horse field for the 2026 Kentucky Derby is set after The Puma scratched on Saturday morning. The fastest two minutes in sports will run on the 1 ¼-mile Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky., with a post time set for 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2. The winner will receive $3.1 million. The Puma was fifth on the morning-line 2026 Kentucky Derby odds board at 10-1, trailing Renegade (4-1), Commandment (6-1), Further Ado (6-1) and Cherokee Nation (8-1).
Pari-mutuel betting, however, means that the odds will fluctuate until closing, and So Happy has been one of the biggest movers, dropping to 6-1 in the live Kentucky Derby odds after opening at 15-1. With so much to consider while making your 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, a little expert help can go a long way. Bet the Kentucky Derby with the latest TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to get up to $400 in bonus bets, double what’s available to the general public:
Further Ado comes into Saturday’s Kentucky Derby riding high. He has won three of his last four races, including an 11-length victory in the 2026 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 4. In all, 23 horses that competed in the Blue Grass Stakes have gone on to win the “Run for the Roses.” Further Ado’s other wins included the 2025 Kentucky Jockey Club in November, and the MSW at Keeneland in October. Three-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey John Velazquez has the mount. The 54-year-old last won the Kentucky Derby in 2020 when he guided Authentic to the 1¼-length win over Tiz The Law. He also had the mount for Always Dreaming, the 2017 Derby winner, and Animal Kingdom, the 2011 victor.
Given all the history of the race, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Kentucky Derby like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2026 Kentucky Derby picks possible.
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 nailed the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order. Anyone who has followed him on those picks could be up huge at sites like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires, and 1/ST BET.
Now, with the 2026 Kentucky Derby post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2026 Kentucky Derby betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them, and you can make 2026 Kentucky Derby futures bets at FanDuel Racing here to get $25 in bonuses with a $5 wager:
Top 2026 Kentucky Derby expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:
Kentucky Derby Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $48.32 at the 2025 Kentucky Derby with Sovereignty and Journalism.
Kentucky Derby Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $231.12 at the 2025 Kentucky Derby with Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza.
Kentucky Derby Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $1682.27 at the 2025 Kentucky Derby with Sovereignty, Journalism, Baeza and Final Gambit.
While Renegade is the 4-1 favorite, Demling isn’t high on the Arkansas Derby winner and barely has the colt finishing in the top 10. Instead, he is building his tickets around a big longshot who could “be a freak,” spicing up his 2026 Kentucky Derby exotics. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Kentucky Derby 2026. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take, and in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
