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Renegade Favored for 152nd Kentucky Derby Saturday

5/2/2026

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Summary

Renegade Leads Derby

The 152nd Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 2 2026 at Churchill Downs in Louisville with a field of 20 horses after three scratches.
Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., opens as the 4-1 favorite.
Commandment and Further Ado, both trained by Brad Cox, start at 6-1 odds.
The race offers a $5 million purse, a 6:57 p.m. ET post time, and NBC broadcast with Peacock streaming.

Summary

Puma Reunites

Trainer Gustavo Delgado and jockey Javier Castellano reunite on The Puma, a 10-1 longshot, in the Sam F. Davis Stakes.
The Sam F. Davis Stakes has never produced a Kentucky Derby winner, with 0 wins from 31 starters.
Forecast predicts 58 °F high, 42 °F low, 20 % rain chance, NNW winds 9 mph, yielding a fast track.
Analyst Michelle Yu warns that Commandment’s win margins shrink in longer races, casting doubt on the 1 ¼-mile Derby.

History

Historical Context

In May 1973 the 99th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs saw Secretariat win in a record 1:59.4, ahead of Sham, before a then-record crowd of 134,476. The victory, broadcast nationally by CBS and backed by $7.6 million in wagers, gave trainer Lucien Laurin and jockey Ron Turcotte consecutive Derby wins and set up the first Triple Crown since Citation in 1948.

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Renegade Leads Derby

The 152nd Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 2 2026 at Churchill Downs in Louisville with a field of 20 horses after three scratches.
Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., opens as the 4-1 favorite.
Commandment and Further Ado, both trained by Brad Cox, start at 6-1 odds.
The race offers a $5 million purse, a 6:57 p.m. ET post time, and NBC broadcast with Peacock streaming.

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