Updated April 13, 2026, 9:48 a.m. ET
- Irad Ortiz Jr. will experience Arkansas Derby winner Renegade — our No. 1-ranked contender — within the Kentucky Derby.
- The draw for the Kentucky Derby is ready for April 25 at Churchill Downs.
And now we wait.
The prep races for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby have been accomplished Saturday with the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, and now there’s a prospective field for the Run for the Roses on May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Perhaps the largest information of final week was jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. choosing to ride Arkansas Derby winner Renegade within the Kentucky Derby.
Buy tickets for Kentucky Derby 152 here
Ortiz additionally had ridden Commandment and Further Ado — each skilled by Brad Cox — in earlier races. Cox named riders for each of these horses final week, with Luis Saez set to experience Commandment and John Velazquez getting the mount on Further Ado.
The Kentucky Derby draw is ready for 2 p.m. on April 25.
With three weeks to go till the Kentucky Derby, right here’s our rating of the top 5 contenders:
Owners: Robert and Lawana Low; Repole Stable (Mike Repole).
Trainer: Todd Pletcher.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Into Mischief.
Road to Kentucky Derby factors: 125 (No. 3)
Career earnings: $1,031,500.
Last race: Won Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 28 at Oaklawn Park.
Owner: Wathnan Racing (Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani).
Trainer: Brad Cox.
Jockey: Luis Saez.
Sire: Into Mischief.
Road to Kentucky Derby factors: 150 (No. 1).
Career earnings: $1,017,339.
Last race: Won Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Owners: OGMA Investments LLC (Gustavo Delgado); JR Ranch (Ramiro Restrepo); High Step Racing LLC (Randy Guy, Joe Noble, Kevin Avera, Jim Ferreira, Todd Perry).
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado.
Jockey: Javier Castellano.
Sire: Essential Quality.
Road to Kentucky Derby factors: 106 (No. 6).
Career earnings: $442,280.
Last race: Second in Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Owner: Spendthrift Farm (Eric Gustavson).
Trainer: Brad Cox.
Jockey: John Velazquez.
Sire: Gun Runner.
Road to Kentucky Derby factors: 135 (No. 2).
Career earnings: $1,146,328.
Last race: Won Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 4 at Keeneland.
Owner: Danox Co. Ltd.
Trainer: Manabu Ikezoe.
Jockey: Atsuya Nishimura.
Sire: Maxfield.
Road to Kentucky Derby factors: Qualified through Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Career earnings: $222,762.
Last race: Won Fukuryu Stakes on March 28 at Nakayama Racecourse.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
