2026 Santa Anita Derby odds, predictions, horses, time: Picks from expert who hit Kentucky Derby exacta

One of the top Kentucky Derby prep races on the West Coast is set for Saturday as the 2026 Santa Anita Derby runs from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Trainer Bob Baffert is going for win No. 10 at the Santa Anita Derby, and he has a great chance to get it as he has the top two favorites in the 2026 Santa Anita Derby odds with Potente at 2-1 and Cherokee Nation at 5-2.

So Happy (7-2), Intrepido (7-2) and Robusta (8-1) round out the list of the top 2026 Santa Anita Derby contenders, with Vitruvian Man (15-1) and Start the Rider (30-1) serving as the longshots. Post time for the Santa Anita Derby 2026 is set for 7:46 p.m. ET. Before making any 2026 Santa Anita Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing analyst Michelle Yu. 

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Yu 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. And in August she hit the Fierceness-Journalism exacta in the Pacific Classic. Anyone who has followed her on horse racing betting sites could be way up. 

Now, with the 2026 Santa Anita Derby approaching and horse racing odds on the board, Yu is sharing her 2026 Santa Anita Derby betting picks and 2026 Santa Anita Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2026 Santa Anita Derby predictions

One of Yu's surprising 2026 Santa Anita Derby picks: She is not high on Cherokee Nation at 5-2, despite his status as the second favorite in the field.

"He pulled it together in the nick of time with a 10-length maiden breaking win in start No. 6," Yu told SportsLine. "This Bob Baffert trainee hails from the best barn in the West, but on Saturday he gets the backup jockey. (Top jock JJ Hernandez rides stablemate Potente instead.) He also draws the rail in his return to stakes company. His last race was brilliant, but he has competed against a few of these in stakes races before and been found lacking." See who to back at SportsLine, and see the latest TwinSpires offer code here.

How to make 2026 Santa Anita Derby picks, bets

Instead, Yu's top pick is a horse who has an "ability to move when asked." She also is high on a second horse who was "gutty" in his last start. Yu is sharing which horse it is, along with her entire projected 2026 Santa Anita Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Santa Anita Derby 2026, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Santa Anita Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Santa Anita Derby.

2026 Santa Anita Derby odds