2026 Kentucky Derby horses, odds, predictions, posts: Expert who hit 12 Derby-Oaks Doubles reveals picks

Horse racing trends will play a big part on 2026 Kentucky Derby picks for many, and there’s an emerging trend in regard to rest time. Each of the last four Derby winners have had exactly 35 days of rest between their final prep race and prevailing at The Run for the Roses. Thus, those that last raced on March 28 are hoping this trend continues at the Kentucky Derby 2026 on Saturday, May 2. Among those who will have 35 days of rest are two of the biggest Kentucky Derby favorites in Renegade (9-2) and Commandment (6-1), who will start from post No. 1 and post No. 6, respectively. 

The 2026 Kentucky Derby odds for others who will have a five-week break include The Puma (10-1), Chief Wallabee (10-1) and Wonder Dean (25-1). Others who don’t hit this 35-day mark include Emerging Market (20-1), who will have 42 days of rest, as well as Potente (15-1), who will have a 28-day break. Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions and best 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 is fading Chief Wallabee (10-1) even though he’s one of the favorites. Veteran Bill Mott saddles Chief Wallabee, and the trainer’s first Derby starter dates back to 1984. While Mott has had two Derby champions, his overall body of work is less than impressive across his 14 starters. His horses — even with the two wins — have an averaging finish of 9.1, with more than twice as many finishing 11th or worse (seven horses) than in the money (three horses).

Also, Chief Wallabee’s last race was a third-place finish at the Florida Derby. Historically, it hasn’t been an encouraging sign to finish outside the top two in Florida. Not since 1994 has a horse finished outside the top two of the Florida Derby and then gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. Chief Wallabee, who drew post No. 12, is fighting history as each of the last nine Kentucky Derby champions who competed at the Florida Derby placed first or second at the latter. See who to back at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Demling is high on Fulleffort, even though he’s a longshot at 20-1 and will start from out wide at post No. 20. Sired by Liam’s Map, Fulleffort’s father won multiple G1 races in his thoroughbred career. Fulleffort also has impressive genes on his mom’s side as his damsire, Awesome Again, also won multiple G1 races. Fulleffort has participated in just one graded stakes race, but he won that in his last start at the Jeff Ruby Steaks.

The horse appears to be following the route that 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike took. Both horses only competed on a synthetic surface in their 3-year-old seasons prior to the Derby, and the two even raced the same three races in the Ruby Steaks, Battaglia Memorial and Leonatus. But while Rich Strike never finished in the top two in any of those, Fulleffort has one victory and two runners-up across them. So, the latter is already ahead of the 2022 Derby champion and shouldn’t be overlooked with your horse racing bets. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks at TwinSpires here with the offer code CBSSPORTS:

How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Demling is also high on a longshot who “demolished the field” in his last start. Anyone who backs this colt could hit it big. 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 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