Get caught up with Great White's past performances, jockey, trainer and full analysis heading into the Run for the Roses
By Gene Menez Apr 30, 2026 at 7:30 am ET • 3 min read 
USATSI Named Great White because of his enormous size -- the horse weighs in at more than 1,300 pounds -- this enormous gray gelding wasn't originally in the Kentucky Derby field but snuck in on Wednesday after the connections of Silent Tactic decided to scratch from the race. Now that Great White is in the field, he will try to emulate another longshot who got into the Derby at the last minute: 2022 winner Rich Strike. Bet Great White and the entire Kentucky Derby at TwinSpires, where new users who click through our links get a supersized $400 sign-up bonus:
21 Great White (50-1)
- Trainer: John Ennis
- Jockey: Alex Achard
- Last race: Fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes by 22¼ lengths
- Career record: 4 starts: 2 wins
- Career earnings: $202,495
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 84 (John Battaglia Memorial)
- Sire: Volatile
Below, we'll dig further into Great White as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2. We'll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.
Now that you know who's in the field, you'll want to know how to bet the Kentucky Derby on the top horse racing betting apps. FanDuel Racing offers a $25 bonus with a $5 bet. Claim it here:
What to know about Great White
Now that Great White is in the race, can he win the race?
He started his career with three starts on the synthetic surface at Turfway Park and won two of them, including a victory in the John Battaglia Memorial over Fulleffort. That performance is better than it looks on paper. Great White pressed the pace that day and still had enough to hold off Fulleffort, who has since won the Jeff Ruby Steaks and become a wiseguy horse in the Kentucky Derby.
Instead of running Great White back in the Jeff Ruby, trainer John Ennis elected to try the dirt and a tougher field in the Blue Grass Stakes. The horse uncharacteristically went to the lead that day and faded, losing to Further Ado by more than 22 lengths.
Ennis has since said the horse was flat the week prior to the Blue Grass but has regained his energy entering the Kentucky Derby. At least one trackside observer was gushing over how the horse got over the track on Wednesday.
If Ennis is right about the poor Blue Grass performance, Great White must still prove that he can run on the dirt. But pedigree says he will actually regress on dirt; sons and daughters of Volatile win at 15% in synthetic routes and just 12% in dirt routes.
But for anyone who doesn't think Great White can win the Kentucky Derby, here are two words for you: Rich Strike. In 2022, he drew into the field after a last-minute scratch and pulled off the second biggest longshot victory in the race at 81-1.
Because Great White didn't draw into the field until Wednesday, he could get lost in the betting at FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET, with his odds drifting even higher than 50-1. Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $500 sign-up bonus:
Post draw analysis
With the scratch of Silent Tactic, horses in posts 14 through 20 will move inside one spot, and Great White will inherit the far outside post No. 20. He's not as quick early as the expected pacesetters, and from this post he's in danger of being severely wide on both turns and losing significant ground. He will have to run the race of his life to make up for that extra ground.
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