Kentucky Derby 2026 Prep Races Recap

The Road to the Kentucky Derby began in September 2025 at Churchill Downs with hundreds of horses and thousands of dreams. Over the course of 50 races across three continents, horses earned qualifying points, and now just 20 horses still have a chance to win the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs.

Most of the spots in the Kentucky Derby are awarded to the top points earners in prep races in the United States. However, as evidenced by Forever Young’s dazzling third-place finish in 2024, the Kentucky Derby is getting more international, and the Road to the Kentucky Derby is reflecting that. The Europe-Middle East road to the Kentucky Derby offers two bids now, and another bid is available in the Japan series. The 2026 Kentucky Derby will be a truly international affair, as all three of these overseas bids are expected to be taken by the horses who earned them.

The first step toward picking a winner of the Kentucky Derby is knowing how everyone got there, so read on and find out who won the qualifying races for the 2026 Kentucky Derby!

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United States Road to the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby qualifying races in the United States are still the most important series. After all, they are expected to send 17 of the 20 runners to the big race, and every Kentucky Derby winner during the points era has come from the stateside series. Every race in this series of preps covers a mile or more, and all but a pair of races at Turfway are conducted on a conventional dirt track.

Iroquois Stakes

The road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby got underway in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) on September 13 at Churchill Downs. Spice Runner, who won by a hard-fought head for trainer Steve Asmussen, has not raced since finishing 11th in the Remington Springboard Mile on December 20. None of the runners from the Iroquois is expected to contest the Kentucky Derby in 2026.

American Pharoah

Jeff Mullins trainee Intrepido stepped up from a maiden win at Del Mar to win the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita, outgaming odds-on Desert Gate in the lane to win by three-quarters of a length. Intrepido went on to earn underneath shares in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Robert B. Lewis (G3), and Santa Anita Derby (G1), earning 38 points in total. As of mid-April, he needs three defections from the Kentucky Derby field to get a spot in the starting gate.

Champagne

Napoleon Solo led at every call in the Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct, rolling home 6 ½ lengths clear for trainer Chad Summers. He finished fifth in both the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Wood Memorial (G2), running his points total up to 25. As of mid-April, he remains under Kentucky Derby consideration but needs nine defections ahead of him to make the field.

Breeders' Futurity

Ted Noffey was the standout two-year-old of 2025: he was already a Grade 1 winner by virtue of a score in the Hopeful (G1) over the summer at Saratoga, and the Todd Pletcher trainee franked that form on October 4 at Keeneland with a 2 ½-length victory in stalk-and-pounce fashion in the Breeders’ Futurity. He went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and champion two-year-old honors, but was taken off the Kentucky Derby trail in late January with bone bruising.

Street Sense

Street Sense (G3) winner Sovereignty went on to win the Kentucky Derby in 2025 for Bill Mott. His son Riley Mott will try to sweep the same double in 2026 with Incredibolt. The son of Bolt d’Oro broke onto the scene on October 26 with a 1 ¾-length last-to-first score in the Street Sense at Churchill Downs. Incredibolt went on to win the Virginia Derby in the spring, raising his points tally to 60 and getting him comfortably into the Kentucky Derby field.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Ted Noffey ran his record to four-for-four with a measured length victory over Mr. A. P. in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Two horses from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile field remain under Kentucky Derby consideration as of mid-April, though both need some defections to get in: fourth-place Litmus Test has 34 points for trainer Bob Baffert and needs to advance seven places, while fifth-place Intrepido needs just three.

Kentucky Jockey Club

Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, had heavy expectations going into the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) on November 29 at Churchill Downs after a 20-length maiden score at Keeneland the month before. He ran to the money, rallying from midpack early to score by 1 ¾ lengths in his graded-stakes debut. A runner-up finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) followed by a win in the Blue Grass (G1) got Further Ado to a tidy 135 points, the second most of any Kentucky Derby qualifier.

Remsen

The Remsen (G2) on December 6 at Aqueduct was billed as a clash between Renegade and Paladin, who had already faced each other in a maiden race at Aqueduct in October. The race delivered, with Paladin making a well-timed run to defeat Renegade by two lengths. Paladin went on to win the Risen Star (G2), but was injured in a work in late March and will miss the Kentucky Derby. Runner-up Renegade continued to shine on the Kentucky Derby trail as well, and will likely be favored on the first Saturday in May.

Los Alamitos Futurity

After grazing at minor shares in the Breeders’ Futurity and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Bob Baffert trainee Litmus Test stepped into the spotlight with a win in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), stalking the pace and running on to win by 1 ¼ lengths at odds-on. He went on to finish third in the Rebel (G2) but only seventh in the Arkansas Derby (G1), leaving him with 34 points and needing seven defections as of mid-April to get into the Kentucky Derby.

Gun Runner

Chip Honcho stepped up from a November maiden win at Churchill Downs to win the Gun Runner on December 20, the first of four Kentucky Derby points races at Fair Grounds. The Steve Asmussen trainee prompted the pace and held off Liberty National to win by three-quarters of a length. After minor shares of points in all three other Fair Grounds preps, he ended on a total of 49 points and needs two defections to draw into the Kentucky Derby field.

Springboard Mile

Sent off a 34-1 outsider for trainer Wade Rarick, Express Kid set the pace and never relented, scoring by 6 ¼ lengths and making a name for himself on the Kentucky Derby trail in the Remington Springboard Mile on December 20. After that victory, Express Kid, who had been a bargain $2,000 yearling, sold for $800,000 to new owners and moved to the barn of Justin Evans. He finished second to Pavlovian in the Sunland Park Derby in his first start for the new barn, and did not press on down the Derby trail.

Jerome

My World, who won the Nashua for trainer Brad Cox in November, rallied from last to first to take the Jerome at Aqueduct on January 3. He returned February 14 in the Saudi Derby, but finished a no-threat 11th behind Al Haram and did not continue on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Smarty Jones

Coming off a win in Florida-bred stakes company in November, Strategic Risk stepped up to beat open company January 3 in the Smarty Jones, the first of four points races at Oaklawn Park. He stalked a comfortable pace and took over to win by 4 ½ lengths over Silent Tactic, his stablemate in the Mark Casse barn. Strategic Risk did not make the Kentucky Derby field after off-the-board finishes in the Southwest (G3) and Rebel (G2), but runner-up Silent Tactic is expected to line up at Churchill Downs.

Lecomte

Golden Tempo stepped up to the Kentucky Derby trail, contesting the Lecomte (G3) on January 17 in just his second start, after a winning debut in a December maiden race at Fair Grounds for trainer Cherie DeVaux. It was the right move, as he rallied powerfully from last to first to win by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Mesquite. After third-place finishes in the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2), Golden Tempo amassed 60 points, enough to punch his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.

Holy Bull

After maiden and allowance wins at Gulfstream Park, Nearly came into the Holy Bull (G3) as a buzz horse for trainer Todd Pletcher. He ran to it in that January 31 race, prompting the pace and bounding clear to win by 5 ¾ lengths. A fourth-place finish in the Florida Derby next out left him on 35 points, meaning he needs five defections in front of him to make the field.

Southwest

Silent Tactic had nibbled at stakes success before, with a Grade 3 placing as a juvenile at Woodbine and then a second-place finish in the Smarty Jones, but this Mark Casse trainee stepped up in the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn on February 6. Though he raced in last early, he mounted a steady rally and rolled clear to win by 3 ¼ lengths. He finished second in both the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby, ending on 100 points and comfortably earning a spot in the Run for the Roses.

Withers

A maiden winner against New York-breds on November 9, Talk to Me Jimmy stepped up to open company in the Withers on February 6 and looked good doing it, leading at every call and drawing off to win by 5 ½ lengths for trainer Rudy Rodriguez. He only finished eighth when returning in the Wood (G2) two months later, derailing his Derby hopes.

Robert B. Lewis

It took Plutarch five starts to break his maiden for Bob Baffert, though he did nab a few Derby points along the way when third in the American Pharoah. He stepped right up from a November maiden win to stakes glory, however, battling on the pace and beating Intrepido by three-quarters of a length in the Robert B. Lewis (G3). However, he came out of the Lewis sore and was taken off the Kentucky Derby trail by Baffert in late February.

Sam F. Davis

Remsen runner-up Renegade returned to the track on February 7 for the Sam F. Davis. Still a maiden by virtue of being disqualified for interference in an October maiden race – his previous clash with Paladin – Renegade earned a maiden win, and some more Derby points in one fell swoop at Tampa Bay Downs. Well off the early pace, he made a well-timed run and galloped clear to win by 3 ¾ lengths, showing he was training on at three.

Risen Star

Paladin stepped away from Renegade for his three-year-old debut, turning up in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds on February 14. Chip Honcho set the pace, but could not keep Paladin down in the end; Paladin got up by half a length as the odds-on favorite, remaining undefeated for Chad Brown. The performance marked him as an early favorite for the Run for the Roses, but he was unfortunately injured in a workout on March 28 and will not make the Kentucky Derby.

Sunland Derby

Pavlovian had done much of his running against California-breds, but stepped up to the Kentucky Derby trail for the first time on February 15 in the Sunland Park Derby for trainer Doug O’Neill. He hounded odds-on favorite Express Kid all the way around and finished best in the end, catching him to win by a nose. He franked that form next out with a runner-up finish in the Louisiana Derby, ending on 70 points and earning his way to the Kentucky Derby.

John Battaglia Memorial

In the first of two synthetic-track Kentucky Derby prep races, the hulking grey John Ennis trainee Great White improved from a fifth-place finish in the Leonatus, the local prep, to score by a neck in the John Battaglia at Turfway on February 21. He did so with a stalk-and-pounce trip, and then held off Fulleffort to win by a neck. He finished just fifth next out in the Blue Grass (G3), meaning he ended on 30 points and needs eight defections to make the Kentucky Derby field.

Fountain of Youth

Coming off a stakes win in the Mucho Macho Man, which does not offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points, Commandment ran to the money in the Fountain of Youth (G2) on February 28 at Gulfstream, battling hard down the lane and beating well-regarded Chief Wallabee to the wire by a neck. The Brad Cox trainee followed that up with a Florida Derby (G1) win, ending on 150 and becoming the top points-earner for the Kentucky Derby.

Gotham

Chad Brown trainee Iron Honor graduated in his first career start in December at Aqueduct and was pointed straight to the Gotham (G3) there on February 28. The public bet him to odds-on and he rose to the challenge, battling Crown the Buckeye through much of the race and edging ahead to win by a length. Those 50 points are enough to get him into the Kentucky Derby if his connections want to go, though as of mid-April, they were still assessing Iron Honor’s options.

Rebel

After a debut maiden win and a runner-up finish in the Swale, Todd Pletcher put Class President on the Kentucky Derby trail March 1 in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn. He attended the early paceset by Litmus Test, engaged that foe in a battle, then faced a bid from Silent Tactic, and battled on to win by a hard-fought nose. He was subsequently entered in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland, scratched, and then declared out of the Kentucky Derby after his connections discovered bone bruising.

Tampa Bay Derby

Though The Puma was still a maiden as he headed into the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), he had kept good company – he was second to Chief Wallabee on debut and then third behind Renegade in the Sam F. Davis. He came into his own on March 7 in the Tampa Bay Derby, rallying from last and overhauling Further Ado to win by three-quarters of a length. He picked off another 50 points a month later when missing by a nose in the Florida Derby (G1), running his total to 106 points and earning his way to Kentucky.

San Felipe

Bob Baffert trainee Potente did not debut until late January, but after a three-quarter-length victory, he earned a ticket to the San Felipe (G2) on March 7. Sent off the longer price of two Baffert horses in the field, he tracked the pace and battled down the lane to get up by a neck over 67-1 long shot Robusta, while odds-on Brant ran only fifth. Potente returned with a runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), running his total to 100 qualifying points and becoming Baffert’s only horse who, as of mid-April, does not need some defections to make the Kentucky Derby field.

Virginia Derby

Last in the Holy Bull in his three-year-old debut, Street Sense winner Incredibolt got back into winning form March 14 at Colonial Downs. The Riley Mott trainee tracked the pace, made a smart run in the lane, and cleared off to win by four lengths over Grittiness, earning another 50 points toward the Derby. That ran his total to 60, safely earning his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.

Jeff Ruby Steaks

Fulleffort may have been the runner-up in both the Leonatus and the Battaglia at Turfway, but it was all about him on March 21 in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). The Brad Cox trainee sat toward the rear of the field early, but improved around the far turn, took the lead in upper stretch, and cleared off to win by 2 ½ lengths over Stark Contrast. Those 100 points took his total to 110, safely earning him a ticket to Kentucky. Runner-up Stark Contrast has 50 points and enough earnings to run in the Derby, though his connections are also considering the American Turf (G1) for him.

Louisiana Derby

Emerging Market is an apt name for an up-and-coming face on the Kentucky Derby trail. The Chad Brown trainee didn’t debut until February 7, when he won a maiden special weight on the Sam F. Davis undercard at Tampa Bay Downs. He jumped straight from there to the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 21 at Fair Grounds, was bet down to 2-1 favoritism, and outgamed the more experienced Pavlovian to win by a head. Those 100 points earned him a ticket to the Kentucky Derby. Second-place Pavlovian and third-place Golden Tempo also punched their tickets to the Run for the Roses, and fourth-place Chip Honcho awaits two defections to claim a spot.

Arkansas Derby

With Paladin off the Kentucky Derby trail by the time the Arkansas Derby (G1) happened at Oaklawn on March 28, it looked like Todd Pletcher trainee Renegade would have a good shot to claim favoritism in the Kentucky Derby markets if he ran to the money in Hot Springs. Settled toward the rear early, he made a big closing run and galloped clear to win by four lengths, earning that spot at the top of the market. Second-place Silent Tactic also punched his ticket; seventh-place Litmus Test has not been removed from consideration but needs seven defections to get into the field.

Florida Derby

With Commandment, The Puma, Chief Wallabee, and Nearly all in the field, the Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream on March 28 was the best Kentucky Derby prep race of the season. It took a long look from the judges to separate Commandment and The Puma at the finish wire; Commandment’s last-to-first run was enough to get him home by a nose. Commandment (150 points) and The Puma (106) are in the Kentucky Derby field. Third-place Chief Wallabee (50) needs one defection ahead of him to get in, and fourth-place Nearly (35) needs five.

Blue Grass

Further Ado returned to Keeneland, the site of his 20-length maiden romp, to try to punch his ticket to the Kentucky Derby on April 4 in the Blue Grass (G1). He still loves Lexington: he tracked the pace and left the field in the dust down the lane, winning by 11 lengths. He ran his Kentucky Derby point total to 135, second only behind Commandment, his Brad Cox barn stablemate. Second-place Ottinho, trained by Chad Brown, also qualifies for the Kentucky Derby with 56 points, though his connections are still evaluating their options. Fifth-place Great White remains under consideration as well, but needs eight defections ahead of him to get into the Derby.

Santa Anita Derby

With just a third-place finish in the San Felipe (G2) in his only other Kentucky Derby trail try, So Happy needed at least a runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 4 to get to Churchill Downs. The Mark Glatt trainee did even better, stalking the pace and taking over to win by 2 ¾ lengths, raising his total to 115 points and picking up momentum into the Derby. Second-place Potente is also Derby-bound with 100 points; fourth-place Intrepido has 38 and needs three defections to get in.

Wood Memorial

Albus didn’t graduate until his third career start, but after a maiden win on February 27 at Tampa Bay Downs, trainer Riley Mott stepped him up to the Wood Memorial (G2), and he was up to the task. In a wide-open, 12-horse Wood, Albus settled well off the pace but made a huge run into upper stretch. He got up to win by 1 ¼ lengths, earning 100 points and a trip to the Kentucky Derby. Right to Party closed for second for trainer Kenny McPeek, bringing his point total to 65 and also earning a berth. Third-place Ocelli earned 25 points and remains under consideration by trainer Whit Beckman, but needs 10 defections to get into the race; seventh-place Iron Honor has 50 and a spot in the race from his Gotham win, but may or may not actually go.

Lexington

The Lexington (G3), April 11 at Keeneland, offered 20 points to the winner – enough to break a tie but not enough to lift a horse who wasn’t already close to the bubble. Trendsetter defied 32-1 odds to post a 2 ¼-length victory, but had no Kentucky Derby points going into the Lexington and has not been nominated to the Triple Crown, meaning he is one to watch later in the season.

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, a four-race series, offers one bid to the Kentucky Derby. Two horses earned 40 points in that series: Don Erectus cobbled that together across runner-up finishes in the Cattleya Stakes, the Hyacinth Stakes, and the Fukuryu Stakes, while Danon Bourbon earned them in one fell swoop, overhauling Don Erectus to win the Fukuryu on March 28 at Nakayama. Though Don Erectus won the non-restricted stakes earnings tiebreaker, he was not nominated to the Triple Crown. Danon Bourbon was, and the Manabu Ikezoe-trained son of Maxfield will put his undefeated record on the line in the Kentucky Derby.

Europe-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby

The Europe-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby previously offered one bid to the Run for the Roses, but that was expanded to two bids for 2026. Though the series encompasses ten races from September until late March, the 100-60-30-15-10-point UAE Derby (G2) is calibrated to be the most important race by far – no other race in the series offers more than 30 points to the winner.

Fittingly, the first two horses across the wire on Dubai World Cup night are the two who are going to be in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Wonder Dean is the top earner with 106 points: the Daisuke Takayanagi trainee earned 100 for his win in the UAE Derby, and another six from his fourth-place finish behind Al Haram in the Saudi Derby (G3). Six Speed, a UAE local trained by Bhupat Seemar, earned 80 points: 60 from his runner-up effort in the UAE Derby and another 20 for winning the UAE 2,000 Guineas (G3).

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