Analyzing the 2026 Kentucky Derby field: Favorites, contenders and long shots

We come to this year’s Kentucky Derby with no clear favorite: Five of the 20 entrants are 10-1 or lower on the morning line, with the favorite at a relatively juicy 4-1. That opens the door to big payouts if you can pick the winner, and, even better, the horses that will finish behind him.As seasoned as some of these horses are, none of them has faced what they will on Saturday. Most of them haven’t run the Derby’s 10-furlong distance; notable exceptions are Danon Bourbon and Wonder Dean, the two Japanese entrants, both of whom won in their 1 1/4-mile races, and Emerging Market and Pavlovian, who contested the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby.Advertisement