When is the Kentucky Derby 2026? Jody Demling revealed his 2026 Kentucky Derby picks for the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs
By Ross Kelly Apr 9, 2026 at 3:36 pm ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images The countdown to the 2026 Kentucky Derby continues as the horse racing world prepares for the 152nd Run for the Roses. Among the 2026 Kentucky Derby favorites are Chief Wallabee and Paladin. Chief Wallabee started off with a win in January, a second-place finish in the Fountain of Youth in February and a third in the Florida Derby on March 28. Paladin, meanwhile, has won all three of his previous races, including the Rosen Star in February and Remsen in early December.
Among the other 2026 Kentucky Derby horses are Commandment, who is 7-1 in the 2026 Kentucky Derby odds, and Renegade at 4-1. Commandment has won each of his last four races, including the 2026 Florida Derby on March 28, while Nearly is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Florida Derby after having won his three previous races. The Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs. 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.
Bet the Kentucky Derby with the latest TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to receive up to $400 in bonus bets to wager on almost any track by clicking here:
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 is fading Chief Wallabee (13-1) even though he's one of the favorites. After starting his career in impressive fashion by blowing away the field in January, he's trending in the opposite direction of late, which is alarming so close to the Derby. At the Fountain of Youth, he slipped to second place behind Commandment. At his latest race, Chief Wallabee tumbled to third, even finishing behind The Puma, who he'd handily beaten two months prior.
Also which may be of concern is his pedigree. Chief Wallabee's father is Constitution. Despite winning the G1 Florida Derby in 2014, he failed to run in any of the Triple Crown races that year due to injury. Medaglia d'Oro, Chief Wallabee's damsire, did compete in all Triple Crown races, but failed to win any of them. Demling feels that leaves too much of a risk and is turning his attention elsewhere. See who to back at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Fulleffort, even though he's a longshot at 23-1. Fulleffort has hit the board in every career race and hasn't finished worse than second place in his past five runs. He'll enter the Kentucky Derby off a win at the Jeff Ruby Steaks, and Demling believes he'll thrive at the 1 1/4 mile distance if he can get comfortable on the dirt track.
"The Brad Cox-trained winner of the Jeff Ruby Steaks will relish the added distance, but has to overcome the question if he can run on dirt," Demling told SportsLine. "He reminds me a lot of last year's Ruby Steaks winner -- Final Gambit -- who finished fourth in the Derby for Cox." See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make Kentucky Derby futures bets at TwinSpires here with the offer code CBSSPORTS:
How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is also high on an epic double-digit longshot who "demolished the field" in his last start. Anyone who backs this colt could hit it big. 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.
