Which horse is everyone looking to pick in the Kentucky Derby this year? I'm thinking about betting on Commandment personally.
OT: Triple Crown of Horse Racing
- Thread starter bigmatt718
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Renegade has been dominant and it’s hard to bet against a Pletcher favorite but that’s no fun. I’ll bet the best jockey and take Father Ado a bit.
Commandment, Further Ado, The Puma, Renegade and Chief Wallabee are the major players. Speed-wise they are evenly matched.
I think Emerging Market, So Happy, Potente and one of the japanese horses (Wonder Dean and Danon Bourbon) could hit the board in trifecta and superfecta bets.
The best Derby betting race in many years. Current betting odds have Renegade as the 5-1 favorite.
I think Emerging Market, So Happy, Potente and one of the japanese horses (Wonder Dean and Danon Bourbon) could hit the board in trifecta and superfecta bets.
The best Derby betting race in many years. Current betting odds have Renegade as the 5-1 favorite.
The number 1 post position for Renegade might hinder chances for winning.
Commandment was my pick in February but have a soft spot for So Happy whose trainer Mark Glatt's wife died in March due to heart failure. It's also his first Derby horse. If he wins Mike Smith will be the oldest jockey at 60 to win the Derby. I'll put him in my exotics alongside of The Puma and Renegade.
Renegade is a closer. He'll save ground. With the new starting gate, the 1 hole is not as bad as the old split gate. I always worry about traffic problems with a closer whether he is in post 1 or post 20. I think we'll see a honest pace and expect jockey Irad Ortiz to work out a trip and be ready to ask for his closing kick at the top of the stretch.
Have You Picked Your Kentucky Derby Horses Yet?
2026 Kentucky Derby Horses & Contenders | Live Leaderboard
What horses are running in the Kentucky Derby? Learn about each contender’s ranking, total points & past performances on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
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So Happy
Chief Wallabee
&
Commandment
Renegade is in the number one post, which hasn't finished first in the Derby since 1986. I wonder how many top 3 favorites have had the number one spot since that time.
Puma scratched
>The horse The Puma was scratched from the 2026 Kentucky Derby just hours before the race on Saturday, May 2, 2026, due to a swollen left leg caused by a skin infection. Trainer Gustavo Delgado confirmed the decision after discovering the injury, stating it is disappointing but necessary for the horse's safety<
>The horse The Puma was scratched from the 2026 Kentucky Derby just hours before the race on Saturday, May 2, 2026, due to a swollen left leg caused by a skin infection. Trainer Gustavo Delgado confirmed the decision after discovering the injury, stating it is disappointing but necessary for the horse's safety<
Didn’t see that coming. That was an incredible finish.
My daughter lives in Lexington and on my trip back last summer we visited Claiborne Farm, Big Red's final resting place.
The trainer said that the horse's heart weighed 22 pounds while the average race horse is 8.5 pounds
Yes I had heard that about Secretariat and it makes sense. What also makes sense is that Sham - Secretariat's runner-up in races - also had a big heart. "At the necropsy, his heart weighed in at 18 pounds" - wiki.
The second fastest time after Secretariat's 1:59.4 was Sham's at 1:59.8 in the same Derby race
Not sure if this is confirmed - but I read this morning that 19 of the 20 horses yesterday were in Secretariat's bloodline.
Looks like 19 of 20 is a fact
How Secretariat is incredibly related to 19 of 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby field
Secretariat is one of the most famous horses in racing history. So much so that nearly every competitor in this year's derby is related to him.
sports.yahoo.com
I'm not a race fan outside of the triple crown races but I'm sure people who throw money are horses would pay more for a Secretariat lineage. This is the time of Year Francesa is in his area. Pre-race He described the chaos of the K. Derby. Overcrowded field with young horses than never went a mile and a quarter, and a wall of sound" from 150k fans. He said some horses go out too fast and wear down. Some get stuck inside the pack and a lot of good horses cant win the race. He said this year's derby was "wide open" with no legit favs
12:00 in
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Yesterday was a day I got to check off a bucket list item:
Kentucky Derby
My brother and I had wanted to attend the derby since we were youngsters when Secretariat won. We both retired recently so we could finally take the trip to Churchill Downs and make it a reality. What a blessing it was to witness such a memorable and historical race.
In 2015, we were fortunate to attend the Belmont when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years.
I wore a Rutgers cap. Glad I did. Numerous people came up to me to talk Rutgers, sports and academics.
Kentucky DerbyMy brother and I had wanted to attend the derby since we were youngsters when Secretariat won. We both retired recently so we could finally take the trip to Churchill Downs and make it a reality. What a blessing it was to witness such a memorable and historical race.
In 2015, we were fortunate to attend the Belmont when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years.
I wore a Rutgers cap. Glad I did. Numerous people came up to me to talk Rutgers, sports and academics.
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Did an RV trip down from New Jersey for the derby in 2008 for my bachelor party. Definitely a bucket list item despite the fact that we didn’t see the race from the infield lol. Talks of making it back for a 20 year anniversary in 2028 for a more civilized outing.Yesterday was a day I got to check off a bucket list item:
My brother and I had wanted to attend the derby since we were youngsters when Secretariat won. We both retired recently so we could finally take the trip to Churchill Downs and make it a reality. What a blessing it was to witness such a memorable and historical race.
In 2015, we were fortunate to attend the Belmont when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years.
I wore a Rutgers cap. Glad I did. Numerous people came up to me to talk Rutgers, sports and academics.
Wait,,, You couldn't get into the winners circle?Yesterday was a day I got to check off a bucket list item:
My brother and I had wanted to attend the derby since we were youngsters when Secretariat won. We both retired recently so we could finally take the trip to Churchill Downs and make it a reality. What a blessing it was to witness such a memorable and historical race.
In 2015, we were fortunate to attend the Belmont when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years.
I wore a Rutgers cap. Glad I did. Numerous people came up to me to talk Rutgers, sports and academics.
sad news on the horse who was 2nd
Kentucky Derby horse was euthanized after breaking legs during race | Watch
Kentucky Derby horse was euthanized after breaking legs during race | Watch
That was the year I was there. When we got home people asked if that was sad to see. We missed it, too busy watching people receipts across the top of the porta potty’s.
Not sure if everybody is aware, but the Preakness will be held in Laurel this year, due to renovations at Pimlico in Baltimore.
Also, not sure what this means, but Churchill Downs is purchasing "all intellectual property rights to the Preakness" for $85 billion. I'm not sure who they are purchasing it from, but they said that said rights will be "leased to the state of Maryland." This is all over my head...
Also, not sure what this means, but Churchill Downs is purchasing "all intellectual property rights to the Preakness" for $85 billion. I'm not sure who they are purchasing it from, but they said that said rights will be "leased to the state of Maryland." This is all over my head...
Slightly less , but a surprise .
Hopefully this might be the first move in finding a way to keep the Triple Crown going strong instead of Derby winners not racing in the Preakness and depriving any chance for a Triple Crown winner like happened last year and happening again this year.
>Churchill Downs Inc. announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with 1/ST Maryland LLC to purchase the intellectual property rights for the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. The $85 million deal includes “all trademarks and associated rights” associated with the two Maryland races. <
Interesting news regarding the Preakness. Had no clue Pimlico was being renovated this year.
Would it be such a bad idea to move to make it 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks between the Derby, Preakness and Belmont? Who wants to watch a Preakness or Belmont without a chance for the Triple Crown or a race of inferior horses? It's the biggest time frame in the sport and time after time a winner or 2nd place finisher doesn't compete in all 3 races!
I'd be in favor of spacing the races out since the Derby winner opted out of the Preakness. If given another week or so to rest they may go after the Triple Crown again.
I know this is old school thinking, but to me part of being a Triple Crown winner was being able to win different kind of races without a ton of rest and recovery time. But I'm pretty sure it will eventually go the way you've described...
I read a good article about the races. The TC races used to be a week apart back in the day, Cherie DeVaux said horses are bred for speed these days (not that we've seen a lot of fast horses) and endurance can be a weakness. Belmont Stakes aren't in Belmont this year and with Preakness move the TC doesn't have the allure this year.
I like the TC being hard to win. A winner in 15-20 years is fine for me because the TC should be iconic - that's why people get drawn in by a potential TC winner.. If a TC winner came around every 5-7 years people would lose interest