Renegade leads Kentucky Derby field as race offers $5m purse
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · May 1
Renegade leads Kentucky Derby field as race offers $5m purse
14 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · May 1
The 152nd Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in Louisville will split the prize money among the top five finishers in a 20-horse field.
Commandment and Further Ado are also among the leading contenders, while the purse matches 2024 and 2025 levels after a $2m increase from earlier years.
The race remains one of US sport’s biggest spectacles despite horse-doping accusations in 2021 and the deaths of two horses at Churchill Downs in 2023.
Will the Derby's unique 'one chance only' rule for three-year-olds continue to define its unpredictability, or is it time for a radical rethink?
With Renegade facing the dreaded No. 1 post, could an outsider like The Puma or a longshot steal the 2026 Kentucky Derby spotlight?
How might Churchill Downs' acquisition of the Preakness and possible Triple Crown schedule changes reshape the Derby's future and its legendary traditions?