2026 Kentucky Derby preview, picks: Best horses to use in exactas, trifectas
Some years, the Kentucky Derby is straightforward to handicap.You have a chalky favorite, like Justify in 2018, and you’re just trying to figure out the best horses to use underneath to add some value to your exactas and trifectas, knowing that there’s no point in trying to beat a juggernaut.This is not one of those years.Renegade was already pegged as a lukewarm favorite before last weekend’s post position draw, and the skeptics only grew louder when Mike Repole’s colt was drawn into the dreaded No.1 spot, which hasn’t produced a winner since Ferdinand in 1986.No.
6 Commandment and No.18 Further Ado were co-second favorites on the morning line, but both look like they could drift into the pack as trendy horses like No.
8 So Happy and No.9 The Puma take money.Other potentially trendy horses include No.
15 Emerging Market and No.11 Incredibolt, who is being touted as this year’s “wiseguy horse.”That’s already seven horses out of a field of 20 with plenty of support behind them, and I haven’t even mentioned a handful of others that are going to have plenty of backers by the time “My Old Kentucky Home” is being bugled out to the masses.With so much potential value on the board, the 2026 Kentucky Derby is setting up to be one of those years where the winning exacta and trifecta combos hit for massive payouts.So, whether you’re looking for a horse to add value to your ticket underneath one of the favorites, or looking to build out an exacta or trifecta from scratch, consider these four horses to help you on your way to a big score Saturday.Chief Wallabee’s third-place finish in the Florida Derby against Commandment and The Puma is misleading.While those two Derby contenders enjoyed relatively stress-free trips around Gulfstream Park, Chief Wallabee was in a nightmare.
He was pinned to the rail, bounced between horses and then somehow put pressure on the 1-2 finishers, losing by a half-length.Chief Wallabee seemed to be headed for trendy te...