2026 Kentucky Derby horses, odds, futures, preview, date: Expert who nailed 12 Derby-Oaks Doubles tells picks

As the calendar turns to spring shortly, the 2026 Kentucky Derby is rapidly approaching. That's especially true this year with an early run date of May 2, 2026 as "The Run for the Roses" will unfold for the 152nd time. It's the first race in the Triple Crown of horse racing and one of the highlights of the sports betting calendar as hundreds of millions of dollars are bet on this Grade-1 race at Churchill Downs.

The early 2026 Kentucky Derby odds list Paladin as the 9-1 favorite, with Nearly close behind at 10-1. Early 2026 Kentucky Derby horses getting longer odds include Further Ado (24-1), Golden Tempo (32-1) and Boyd (34-1). 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.

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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 doesn't have the favorite, Paladin (9-1), winning. It's tough to find many holes in his resume at this point since he's won all three races, including the 2026 Risen Star in February and the 2025 Remsen Stakes back in December.

His status as the favorite at this point, however, might be a bit aggressive given that he won't even run another race until April. Nearly, Canaletto, and Commandment are all other horses who have looked strong in the winter and are fetching longer odds in the futures pool, so Demling isn't making Paladin his top choice in the Kentucky Derby futures. See who to back at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling is high on Canaletto, even though he's a longshot at 15-1. With just one race to his credit, Canaletto is somewhat of an unknown. What he showed, however, was impressive after he dominated at Gulfstream Park on January 25, posting a 1:36.28 time in his 1-mile maiden special weight race, finishing well ahead of Lost Money and Autobahn.

Demling says Canaletto has the "looks of a superstar in the making" and also loves his bloodline. He is a half-brother to Sandman and the son of Into Mischief, who won three of his six career starts. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make Kentucky Derby futures bets TwinSpires here:

How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is especially high on a massive double-digit longshot who could be the best of a "barnful of standouts." 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.

2026 Kentucky Derby odds