The horse racing Triple Crown begins on Saturday, May 2 with the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Up to 20 Kentucky Derby horses will compete over a 1 1/4-mile track in a spectacle also known as The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports. The horse favored to prevail is a colt named Paladin (9-1), who was born and bred in The Bluegrass State. He’s the only horse with single-digit 2026 Kentucky Derby odds, but Nearly is just behind him at 10-1.
Mid-shot thoroughbreds include Canaletto (15-1) and Renegade (19-1), while 2026 Kentucky Derby longshots to make horse racing bets on include Potente (44-1) and Bravero (60-1). Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
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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 predicted the top three 2025 Kentucky Derby finishers in the correct order and called the exacta in last year’s Preakness. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Kentucky Derby approaching and horse racing futures odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2026 Kentucky Derby betting picks and 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He doesn’t have the favorite, Paladin (9-1), winning. Paladin is the son of Gun Runner, who won multiple G1 races but struggled at the 1 1/4 miles distance of the Derby. Gun Runner lost each of his first three races that were 1 1/4 miles in length. It wasn’t until his fourth — which came just weeks before his 5th birthday — that the horse prevailed at this distance, which indicates Paladin may be still years away from peaking.
Paladin is trained by Chad Brown, one of the winningest trainers of this era. However, what Brown hasn’t won is the Kentucky Derby, going 0 for 9 in his career. More of those starters have finished outside the top eight (four) than have finished inside the top three (three). Considering the short odds that Paladin possesses, there are far better options to utilize Kentucky Derby picks on. See who to back at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Canaletto, even though he’s a longshot at 15-1. With just one race to his credit, Canaletto is somewhat of an unknown. What he showed, however, was impressive after he dominated at Gulfstream Park on January 25, posting a 1:36.28 time in his 1-mile maiden special weight race, finishing well ahead of Lost Money and Autobahn.
Demling says Canaletto has the “looks of a superstar in the making” and also loves his bloodline. He is a half-brother to Sandman and the son of Into Mischief, who won three of his six career starts. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make Kentucky Derby futures bets TwinSpires here:
How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on a massive double-digit longshot who could be the best of a “barnful of standouts.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2026, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who has nailed 12 Derby-Oaks doubles.
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