Story perspectives

Mott Aims Derby Victory; Renegade 4-1 Favorite.

4/30/2026

Summary

Renegade Opens

2026 Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 2, 2026 at 6:57 p.m. ET.
Renegade opens at 4-1 while Great White joins at 50-1 after Silent Tactic is scratched.
Trainer Bill Mott seeks Derby win with Chief Wallabee, a feat not seen since trainer Bob Baffert in 1997-1998, while analyst Jody Demling is fading Renegade, predicting 4-1 favorite will finish no better than top ten.

Summary

Mike Smith Record

Jockey Mike Smith, 59, could become the oldest Kentucky Derby winner, beating Bill Shoemaker’s 1986 record.
Jack and Debby Oxley, Polo and Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famers, earned their triumph when Monarchos won the 2001 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.97, a sub-two-minute finish.
The Oxley family runs Fawn Leap Farm in Midway, Kentucky, maintains broodmares.
Jack Oxley, 89, co-owns Silent Tactic, a $1,051,922-earning colt with Secretariat twice in its pedigree.

History

Historical Context

Bill Shoemaker’s 1986 Kentucky Derby win on 18-1 outsider Ferdinand made him, at 54, the oldest jockey ever to capture the race, extending his record-setting career of 8,833 victories. The triumph echoed earlier milestones—Secretariat’s 1973 speed record and the Derby’s shift to a 10-furlong distance in 1896—within a sport that began in 1875 and once featured dominant Black riders.

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Renegade Opens

2026 Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 2, 2026 at 6:57 p.m. ET.
Renegade opens at 4-1 while Great White joins at 50-1 after Silent Tactic is scratched.
Trainer Bill Mott seeks Derby win with Chief Wallabee, a feat not seen since trainer Bob Baffert in 1997-1998, while analyst Jody Demling is fading Renegade, predicting 4-1 favorite will finish no better than top ten.

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