Kentucky Derby 2026: Predictions, Odds, and Betting Picks for Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta

Kentucky Derby 2026 predictions, odds, betting advice: Win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta picks

Jody Demling has revealed his win, place and show picks for the Kentucky Derby 2026 on Saturday, May 2

By Ross Kelly

May 2, 2026 at 4:08 pm ET • 3 min read

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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 .

2026 Kentucky Derby odds, futures, horses, post positions

Post  Horse  Odds Projection 1 Renegade 4-1 SEE PICKS 2 Albus 30-1 SEE PICKS 3 Intrepido 50-1 SEE PICKS 4 Litmas Test 30-1 SEE PICKS 5 Right to Party 30-1 SCR 6 Commandment 6-1 SEE PICKS 7 Danon Bourbon 20-1 SEE PICKS 8 So Happy 15-1 SEE PICKS 9 The Puma 10-1 SCR 10 Wonder Dean 30-1 SEE PICKS 11 Incredibolt 20-1 SEE PICKS 12 Chief Wallabee 8-1 SEE PICKS 13 Silent Tactic 20-1 SCR 14 Potente 20-1 SEE PICKS 15 Emerging Market 15-1 SEE PICKS 16 Pavlovian 30-1 SEE PICKS 17 Six Speed 50-1 SEE PICKS 18 Further Ado 6-1 SEE PICKS 19 Golden Tempo 30-1 SEE PICKS 20 Fulleffort 20-1 SCR 21 Great White 50-1 SEE PICKS 22 Ocelli 50-1 SEE PICKS 23 Robusta 50-1 SEE PICKS

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/kentucky-derby-2026-predictions-odds-betting-advice-win-place-show-exacta-trifecta-superfecta-picks/)._