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Only one horse in the 2026 Kentucky Derby field has faced each of the top four heavyweights on the morning line: The Puma. And the Gustavo Delgado trainee has held his own against Renegade, Commandment, Further Ado and Chief Wallabee this year, even beating Further Ado in the Tampa Bay Derby. On Saturday, The Puma can vault to the head of the 3-year-old class when he leaves the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Bet The Puma and the entire Kentucky Derby at TwinSpires, where new users who click through our links get a supersized $400 sign-up bonus:

9 The Puma (10-1)

  • Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
  • Jockey: Javier Castellano
  • Last race: Second in the Florida Derby by a nose
  • Career record: 4 starts: 1 win, 2 seconds, 1 third
  • Career earnings: $442,280
  • Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 100 (Florida Derby)
  • Sire: Essential Quality

Below, we'll dig further into The Puma 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 The Puma

Purchased for the relatively reasonable sum of $150,000 last year (the horse entered the auction ring a tad overweight, which kept a ceiling on the bidding), The Puma did not get to the races until January. He was the 2-1 favorite that day but ran into another talented first-time starter, Chief Wallabee, and lost by 1½ lengths.

In his next start, the Sam F. Davis Stakes, The Puma lacked room for much of the race and encountered major traffic trouble down the lane when he tried to go through a hole that wasn't there and finished third behind eventual Arkansas Derby winner and Kentucky Derby favorite Renegade. Reasonable people can disagree about whether The Puma would've beaten Renegade with a clean trip, but he would've made the race much more interesting.

The Puma finally got his maiden victory in his next start, the Tampa Bay Derby. In that race he found himself last of nine early before making a five-wide move around the far turn to get to the front. He held off Further Ado, who was making his first start after a three-month layoff, for the win.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado then chose to bring The Puma back just three weeks later in the Florida Derby. Facing both Commandment and Chief Wallabee, The Puma again went wide around the far turn to take the lead at the top of the stretch. But this time he was unable to hold off Commandment, losing by just a nose. The performance earned him a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, which is tied for the third-best Beyer in the field, behind only Further Ado (106) and Commandment (101).

And, now, after having just three weeks going into the Florida Derby, The Puma will have five weeks into the Kentucky Derby. And according to trackside observers, he is thriving. In his penultimate workout for Louisville, he completed five furlongs in a little more than 1 minute.

The Puma certainly will have much to overcome. Since 1882, just two horses have won the Kentucky Derby without having raced at age 2. But one of those was Mage, who was trained by Delgado in 2023 when he won the roses. (The Puma is residing in Barn 42, Stall 10 at Churchill Downs, the same stall as Mage in 2023.)

In addition, because of the delayed start, The Puma already has run four times this year. How much more can be left in the tank?

Even though he has proven to be on the level of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby, there's a good chance that he will get a little lost in the betting at FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET. But if you like Renegade, Commandment or Further Ado, you should love The Puma at what may be twice the price.  Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $500 sign-up bonus:

Post draw analysis

If The Puma's last two races are any indication, jockey Javier Castellano will try to pass horses wide on the far turn on Saturday. That strategy may work in the Florida Derby against just five other horses but can be dangerous in the Kentucky Derby against 19 others. The No. 9 post position should be good enough for The Puma get his outside, traffic-free trip without losing too much ground.