2026 Kentucky Derby odds, horses, field: Racing insider offers best bets for top picks for the Run for the Roses

One of the world's most storied sporting events returns on Saturday when the starting gate opens for the 2026 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Arkansas Derby winner Renegade is the favorite in the 2026 Kentucky Derby odds at 4-1 but will be trying to become the first Derby winner from post No. 1 since 1986. Florida Derby champion Commandment (6-1), Blue Grass Stakes sensation Further Ado (6-1), the Bill Mott-trained Chief Wallabee (8-1) and Tampa Bay Derby hero The Puma (10-1) round out the top five favorites among the 20 Kentucky Derby horses. Post time for the $5 million Kentucky Derby 2026 is 6:57 p.m. ET. 

With the Kentucky Derby's 20-horse rodeo serving as the most difficult handicapping puzzle every year, you NEED to see what Santa Anita-based racing reporter and insider Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, considering her track record calling WINNERS of this race.

Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager four years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won.

She started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young's win in the Saudi Cup, Journalism's win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sandman's win in the Arkansas Derby and Mindframe's win in the Churchill Downs Stakes. She also hit the exacta in the Kentucky Derby.

In August she hit the Fierceness-Journalism exacta in the Pacific Classic, and just last month she nailed the Renegade-Silent Tactic-Taptastic trifecta in the Arkansas Derby.

For the 2026 Kentucky Derby, Yu has made her picks and constructed her bets. One surprise: She is completely fading Commandment, even though he won the Florida Derby and is one of the top favorites. Another curveball: Yu is high on The Puma, even though he's a 10-1 longshot. "His best races put him right in the mix, and these connections have won a Derby before," Yu told SportsLine. She is using The Puma prominently in her 2026 Kentucky Derby bets.

Moreover, Yu's top pick is a horse who is "screaming for more ground." She also is high on a big double-digit longshot who will be the "forgotten horse." She is including these horses in her 2026 Kentucky Derby bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see her picks before locking in any of your own!

So which horse wins the 2026 Kentucky Derby? What double-digit longshot is a must-back? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Michelle Yu's 2026 Kentucky Derby picks and bets, all from the racing insider who has nailed this race year after year!