The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby appears to be a wide-open race.

And that was the general sentiment before the 4-1 morning-line favorite, Renegade, drew the No. 1 post position, which hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand won from the rail in 1986.

That’ll be 40 years of history for the Arkansas Derby winner to overcome ...Read more

Among the roster of jockeys expected to ride in the 2026 Kentucky Derby are five previous winners and seven first-time riders.

Yet the most motivated competitor riding in the 152nd Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs will likely come from neither the prior winners nor the first timers.

It likely is one of the following four riders.

There are...Read more

Each year in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby, chatter that fills the early-morning air on the backside at Churchill Downs.

There’s scuttlebutt on everything from a how a horse appears while feeding and resting in the barn to how a thoroughbred looks while training on the track ahead of the Grade 1, $5 million race.

Sometimes, the talk is ...Read more

It was a mixed bag of news for gray horse enthusiasts in the days leading up to the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

On Wednesday, Great White was added to the field from the also-eligible list after the scratch of Silent Tactic, giving the field three gray horses. But one day later, Brad Cox-trained Fulleffort was scratched, dropping the number back to ...Read more

Another horse has scratched from the expected Kentucky Derby field.

On Thursday morning, it was announced that Fulleffort won’t be running in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The news was publicized by the Kentucky Derby’s official accounts on social media.

According to David Grening of the Daily Racing Form, ...Read more

This past weekend, post positions were drawn for the 2026 edition of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby, to be run Saturday night at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

And right from the start of the post-position draw, there was drama.

Renegade, the eventual 4-1 morning-line favorite, was the second horse given a post position and drew No...Read more

It’s almost time for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, which will be run Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and the 152nd running of the race appears to be fairly wide open.

Arkansas Derby winner Renegade is the morning-line favorite at 4-1 odds, but he drew the No. 1 post position, which hasn’t produced a winner since Ferdinand in 1986...Read more

Kate Hunter wants to disrupt the norms of the Kentucky Derby.

In fact, there’s nothing she’d rather do than help create a seismic change in a cherished American sports tradition.

Hunter, among other duties, serves as a Japanese representative for Churchill Downs. She works closely with the Japanese horses who take part in the Kentucky ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The road to the Kentucky Derby, the biggest race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in America, if not the world, starts right here in the Bluegrass.

Kentucky is not the “Horse Capital of the World” because the Kentucky Derby just happens to be here.

It’s the horse capital of the world because almost all the contenders for ...Read more

If purchase price were the most important indicator of a horse’s racing success, there would be a runaway favorite for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

But the betting favorites do not include the most expensive horse in the field.

That distinction goes to Bob Baffert-trained Potente, who was purchased for $2.4 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky Derby fans looking for a special bottle for the big race day on May 2 have a lot of choices, including one that bourbon lovers line up for every year.

While fans flock to Buffalo Trace in Frankfort every day for limited releases,, the distillery traditionally sees its busiest day of the year on Oaks Day, the Friday ...Read more

Riley Mott knows how this will sound, so he offers a qualifier beforehand.

A charismatic young trainer who is set to make his Kentucky Derby debut on Saturday, Mott says he’s not trying to be bold or cocky when explaining that he’s not surprised to be in this position.

Mott, 34, has two horses in this year’s Run for the Roses, as Albus ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — It has rained on each of the last four Kentucky Derby race days, according to the National Weather Service, but an early forecast for this Saturday projects for that streak will come to an end.

The Kentucky Derby is scheduled to take place Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The NWS’ seven-day forecast for ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — As the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby inches closer on the calendar, horse racing fans know they need to pay extra attention to the weather forecast before departing for the races.

The previous 150 editions of the Derby have seen all types of weather, including extreme hot and cold temperatures, sunny skies, torrential ...Read more

The only bet I would make during Kentucky Derby week is one I’d hope to lose. I’d wager a horse will die.

Because Churchill Downs, the most iconic track in the world, owned by the wealthiest racing company in the country, is one of the deadliest.

Look beyond the women wearing gaudy, oversized hats, men in outlandish suits and beautiful ...Read more

Kentucky Derby week is finally upon us.

We now know the horses, and their starting positions, for this year’s Run for the Roses.

On Saturday afternoon, the post position draws were held at Churchill Downs in Louisville for both the Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks for fillies on May 1 and the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby on May 2.

...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 2026 Spring Meet at Keeneland is in the history books.

The 15-day horse racing meet at the Lexington track began April 3 and ended Friday, with plenty of action in between.

The leading trainer and jockey for the Spring Meet are familiar faces at Keeneland, but plenty of notable results also occurred along the way, ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Churchill Downs has reached a deal to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million, the company announced Tuesday, but the agreement doesn’t threaten Maryland’s plans to keep the races in Baltimore.

The agreement with 1/ST Maryland LLC, an affiliate of 1/ST Racing...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Further Ado prevailed Saturday in the 102nd running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, a key Kentucky Derby prep race.

Trained by Louisville native Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado covered 1 1/8 miles on Keeneland’s main track in 1:49:58 on a warm Lexington evening to win ...Read more