Kentucky Derby Leaderboard 2026: Who's In, Who's Out, and What the Points Actually Mean
With 15 days to go until the 152nd Kentucky Derby, the preps are done, the field is basically locked, and the Churchill Downs leaderboard is as close to final as it gets before the draw. Commandment sits on top with 150 points. Further Ado is second with 135. Both are trained by Brad Cox, who just won the Florida Derby and the Blue Grass in back-to-back weekends. Todd Pletcher's Renegade is third. If you're planning to bet the Derby, the leaderboard is the single most important document between now and post time on May 2.
This is your complete guide to the 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard: what it is, how it's decided, what can still change in the next two weeks, and what it means for how you bet the race.
What Is the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard?
The Kentucky Derby leaderboard is the points-based ranking that decides which 20 horses start in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Churchill Downs has limited the Derby field to 20 runners since 1975, and the qualifying order is set through the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated prep races held from September through mid-April in which the top five finishers of each race earn points on a published scale.
Three separate leaderboards feed into the final field:
American Road to the Kentucky Derby - the main series, run at tracks across the United States. The top 17 point-earners on this leaderboard qualify for the starting gate.
European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby - up to two invitations are extended to the top point-earners from this stand-alone series.
Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby - one invitation is extended to the top point-earner from the Japanese series.
Add it up: 17 from America, 2 from Europe/Middle East, 1 from Japan, and you get 20 horses in the gate. Churchill Downs also names four also-eligibles who can draw in if any of the main 20 scratch before entries close.
How the Points Are Earned
Points are awarded to the top five finishers in each designated prep race, with the scale weighted so that the final, most prestigious preps count for the most. The season splits into two parts.
Prep Season runs from September through late January. Races like the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Kentucky Jockey Club, and the Street Sense Stakes. Winners take home modest points, typically 20 to the winner, designed to reward early-maturing 2-year-olds without making the final field impossible to reach for late-developing colts.
Championship Series runs from February through mid-April. The races that actually decide the leaderboard: the Florida Derby, Blue Grass Stakes, Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial, Arkansas Derby, Louisiana Derby, Fountain of Youth, and a handful of others. Winners of these earn 100 points, with a sliding scale down to fifth place. Win two Championship Series preps and you're essentially uncatchable.
If two horses finish tied on points, the tiebreaker is non-restricted stakes earnings through April 11, 2026, followed by lifetime earnings. If they're still tied, Churchill Downs settles it by shake, which is a literal drawing of names.
The Full 2026 Kentucky Derby Leaderboard
Here's where the field stands with the Grade 3 Lexington on April 11 closing out the qualifying calendar. The top 17 on the American Road are in, plus two from Europe/Middle East and one from Japan. Four also-eligibles round out the list.
| Rank | Horse | Points | Trainer | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commandment | 150 | Brad Cox | $943,020 |
| 2 | Further Ado | 135 | Brad Cox | $1,068,095 |
| 3 | Renegade | 125 | Todd Pletcher | $1,002,500 |
| 4 | So Happy | 115 | Mark Glatt | $444,000 |
| 5 | Fulleffort | 110 | Brad Cox | $507,900 |
| 6 | The Puma | 106 | Gustavo Delgado | $428,000 |
| 7 | Silent Tactic | 100 | Mark Casse | $1,020,130 |
| 8 | Emerging Market | 100 | Chad Brown | $600,000 |
| 9 | Albus | 100 | Riley Mott | $400,000 |
| 10 | Potente | 100 | Bob Baffert | $220,000 |
| 11 | Pavlovian | 70 | Doug O'Neill | $527,000 |
| 12 | Right to Party | 65 | Kenny McPeek | $176,000 |
| 13 | Incredibolt | 60 | Riley Mott | $424,570 |
| 14 | Golden Tempo | 60 | Cherie DeVaux | $300,000 |
| 15 | Ottinho | 56 | Chad Brown | $267,750 |
| 16 | Class President | 50 | Todd Pletcher | $569,700 |
| 17 | Stark Contrast | 50 | Michael McCarthy | $439,900 |
| 18 | Danon Bourbon | Japan RTKD | Manabu Ikezoe | $222,762 |
| 19 | Wonder Dean | Euro/Mideast RTKD | Daisuke Takayanagi | $725,172 |
| 20 | Six Speed | Euro/Mideast RTKD | Bhupat Seemar | $314,366 |
| AE1 | Iron Honor | 50 | Chad Brown | $182,500 |
| AE2 | Chief Wallabee | 50 | Bill Mott | $175,800 |
| AE3 | Chip Honcho | 49 | Steve Asmussen | $190,000 |
| AE4 | Intrepido | 38 | Jeff Mullins | $290,000 |
Earnings reflect non-restricted stakes earnings. AE1 through AE4 are also-eligibles who draw in only if one of the main 20 scratches.
What the Leaderboard Tells Us About the 2026 Derby
Brad Cox is in pole position
Cox has two of the top five and three of the top six. Commandment won the Fountain of Youth (G2) and the Florida Derby (G1). Further Ado won the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland just a week later. Fulleffort sits fifth with 110 points. If Cox wins the Derby with any of the three, it'll be his second Run for the Roses in three years after Mage in 2023. When a single barn has this much representation at the top, you can't just throw darts. You need to handicap the Cox horses against each other and figure out which is the most live runner on May 2.
Commandment vs. Further Ado is the story
Commandment is the top points earner and the horse currently favored in most 2026 Kentucky Derby odds markets. He's shown a push-button turn of foot from just off the pace, which is a tactical profile that historically travels well to Churchill. Further Ado won the Blue Grass with a bigger stride and a pedigree that says 1¼ miles should suit. The shortlist of horses capable of actually winning the Derby is, right now, probably four or five horses long, and both of these are on it.
Renegade is the live longshot from a major barn
Todd Pletcher's Renegade punched his ticket by grinding through the preps and is the highest-ranked non-Cox horse in the field. Pletcher has a history of getting Derby horses peaked for the first Saturday in May. If you want a horse who's sitting at a square price and coming from the right barn, this is probably it.
The international contingent is real
Wonder Dean comes in off the Euro/Mideast Road with over $725,000 in earnings and Danon Bourbon represents the Japanese series. Japan's Forever Young finished third in the 2024 Derby, and the Japanese contingent has become a genuine threat in recent runnings rather than a curiosity. These horses are worth more than a casual glance.
How Much Can Still Change?
The draw is the next big moment. Entries close April 25, and post positions are assigned by a random draw over 20 stalls. Between now and then, two things can move horses in or out of the field.
Scratches. If a horse on the leaderboard is withdrawn by his connections due to injury, illness, a change of plans, or a shift to the Preakness, he comes off the list. The next also-eligible moves up. A single scratch in the top 20 promotes Iron Honor into the field. Two scratches and Chief Wallabee is in. Historically, at least one or two horses from the projected top 20 don't make it to the gate.
Also-eligible elevation. The four AEs can draw into the race right up until scratch time on Derby morning. This is why the bubble horses are still worth monitoring even if they look like they're on the outside.
What can't change: the points themselves. No more qualifying races. The Lexington on April 11 was the last point-scoring event on the calendar, and it didn't offer enough points to move any of its finishers into the top 17.
What the Leaderboard Means for Your Betting
Morning line vs. leaderboard rank
The leaderboard is not the odds board. The morning line is set by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia once post positions are drawn on April 25. Points tell you who's qualified and who the top earners are, but they don't tell you who the market thinks is going to win. There's historically a correlation, but it's loose. In 2023, Mage won the Derby from post 8 at odds of 15-1 despite entering with just 32 points, ranked well outside the top 10.
Post position matters more than points
Once the draw happens, post position becomes the single biggest wagering variable. Posts 1 (the rail) and 17 through 20 (the auxiliary gate) have historically been the toughest spots to win from. If your top-ranked horse draws the rail or gets slung out to the far outside, you may want to downgrade his chances. Conversely, a bubble horse who draws post 6 or 10 suddenly looks a lot more interesting.
Preakness Future Wager opens April 24
If you like an early position on a Triple Crown horse, Preakness Future Wager Pool 1 opens Friday, April 24 at noon ET. Journalism is the 8-1 morning-line favorite, with dozens of other wagering options including field bets and a "final wagering pool" option that settles after the Derby is run. Futures prices are fixed when you take them, so if you like a horse at 30-1 now and he wins the Derby, his Preakness Future Wager price doesn't shorten.
Build your Derby tickets around the top tier
For exacta, trifecta, and superfecta tickets, the points leaderboard gives you a defensible top tier to build around: Commandment, Further Ado, Renegade, and one or two of the 100-point group. Most Derby tickets that hit use at least one of the top three points earners. From there, find a longshot you can make a case for and you've got the structure of a live exotic bet.
Bet the Kentucky Derby at MyWinners
The MyWinners lobby has full Derby Week coverage with win, place, show, and all the major exotics on the Derby and the full Churchill Downs card. Preakness Future Wager Pool 1 opens April 24 at noon ET. Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 6 is live now. Watch this space for our Derby Day preview, our post-position analysis after the April 25 draw, and our full handicap of the field ahead of post time.
15 days out. The leaderboard is set. Let the real handicapping begin.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a horse qualify for the Kentucky Derby?
Horses qualify for the Kentucky Derby by earning points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated prep races held from September through mid-April. The top five finishers in each prep race earn points on a published scale, with Championship Series races in February through April awarding the most. The top 17 point-earners on the American Road qualify for the 20-horse starting gate, along with up to two horses from the European/Middle East Road and one from the Japan Road. If two horses are tied on points, the tiebreaker is non-restricted stakes earnings through April 11, 2026.
Who is the favorite for the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
Commandment, trained by Brad Cox, leads the 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 150 points and is the favorite in most early Kentucky Derby odds markets. He won the Fountain of Youth (G2) and the Florida Derby (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Cox also trains Further Ado, who is second on the leaderboard with 135 points after winning the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), and Fulleffort in fifth with 110 points. Todd Pletcher's Renegade sits third with 125 points. The morning line is set once post positions are drawn on April 25, 2026.
When is the 2026 Kentucky Derby post position draw?
The 2026 Kentucky Derby post position draw is scheduled for Saturday, April 25. Once the 20-horse field is finalized from the leaderboard, Churchill Downs assigns post positions through a random draw over 20 stalls. Post position is one of the biggest wagering variables in the race. Post 1 (the rail) and posts 17 through 20 (the auxiliary gate) have historically been the toughest spots to win from, while middle posts have produced the majority of recent winners. The Kentucky Derby itself is run on Saturday, May 2, 2026.
What are Kentucky Derby also-eligibles?
Kentucky Derby also-eligibles are the four horses ranked just outside the top 20 on the leaderboard who can draw into the race if any of the main 20 scratch before scratch time on Derby morning. As of the final qualifying leaderboard, the also-eligibles are Iron Honor, Chief Wallabee, Chip Honcho, and Intrepido. Historically, at least one or two projected starters don't make it to the gate due to injury, illness, or a change of plans, which means also-eligibles frequently draw in. The also-eligible list is why the bubble horses are worth monitoring right up until race day.
Can I bet on the Kentucky Derby before the race at MyWinners?
Yes. MyWinners offers Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools, which let you lock in odds on individual horses or combinations weeks before the race itself. Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 6 is live now. The Preakness Future Wager Pool 1 opens Friday, April 24 at noon ET, with Journalism listed as the 8-1 morning-line favorite. Futures prices are fixed when you place your bet, so if you take a horse at 30-1 today and he wins the Derby, the price doesn't shorten on you. On Derby Day itself, MyWinners carries full Churchill Downs coverage with win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and all the major multi-race wagers.
