Renegade’s Inside Draw Adds Another Test in Deep Derby Field
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Trainer Todd Pletcher will return to the Kentucky Derby on the heels of an unwelcome absence. After 21 consecutive years with at least one starter, the Hall of Famer spent Derby 2025 watching from a nearby hotel after his lone entrant, Grande, was scratched the day before due to a cracked heel.
“It was a strange feeling,” said Pletcher, whose record 65 Derby starters include two winners. “You do the best you can to try and prepare them and get them there, and sometimes it doesn’t work out.”
Now 58, Pletcher is back for the $5 million Kentucky Derby 152 with a single runner again — Renegade — but this one comes in as a bona fide contender.
Renegade Faces History From the Rail
Renegade, winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakesat Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, enters the Derby boasting a late‑running style that Pletcher believes will suit the 1 ¼‑mile challenge.
“I’m excited to be back with a horse that I think has the right style to perform very well in the race,” Pletcher said.
The draw, however, offers little help. Renegade landed the rail post, a slot that hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand (1986). Since Churchill Downs introduced the 20‑stall starting gate, horses breaking from the rail are 0 for 6, including Pletcher’s own Mo Donegal (fifth in 2022) and Known Agenda (ninth in 2021).
After reviewing those replays Sunday, Pletcher concluded both of his prior runners were hindered by inside positioning.
“Mo Donegal, I think, was self‑inflicted a little bit — he didn’t jump well,” Pletcher said. “Known Agenda broke okay, and everybody came over and squeezed him back.”
Both were ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., who will again be aboard Renegade on Saturday.
“Hopefully, some of that experience might help him out a little bit,” Pletcher added.
Cox Trio Headlines Deep Field
Brad Cox, the official 2021 Derby winner with Mandaloun, returns seeking his first victory in real time and will saddle a powerful trio: Further Ado, Commandment, and Fulleffort.
Further Ado, a Spendthrift Farm homebredby Gun Runner, arrives off an 11‑length romp in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakesat Keeneland. In addition to two strong Keeneland wins, the colt owns last year’s Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club victory at Churchill.
“He’s putting enough into his gallops, his attitude’s good, his weight’s great,” Cox said. “I feel positive we’ll get a big effort. People talk about the bounce, but from watching him, it doesn’t seem like he’s regressed one bit — if anything, he’s moved forward.”
Cox welcomed the post 18 draw, envisioning a stalking trip outside the expected speed of Pavlovian (post 16) and Six Speed (post 17). John Velazquez, a three‑time Derby winner, will ride.
Commandment, riding a four‑race win streak capped by a nose victory over The Puma in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, brings similar credentials. A son of Into Mischief, like Renegade, he also captured the Fountain of Youth (G2).
“He’s got a lot of that stallion in him — the toughness and competitiveness he’s shown in the afternoon,” Cox said.
Fulleffort, winner of the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, has never raced on dirt but has trained impressively at Churchill. Cox noted that last year’s Final Gambit—his first dirt try—finished fourth at 17‑1.
The Puma Returns for Delgado; Mott Seeks a Repeat
The Puma, trained by Gustavo Delgado, carries the same team that won the 2023 Derby with Mage: Delgado, Javier Castellano, and some of Mage’s ownership group. The Puma beat Further Ado in the Tampa Bay Derby and then lost by a nose to Commandment in Florida.
Defending Derby champion Bill Mott brings Chief Wallabee, aiming to become the first back‑to‑back Derby‑winning trainer since Bob Baffert (1997‑98). The Constitution colt debuted Jan. 10, broke his maiden over The Puma, then ran second in the Fountain of Youth and third in the Florida Derby. Mott adds blinkers for focus.
“We’ve trained him in blinkers — he’s relaxed behind horses but willing when asked,” Mott said. “He seemed just a little more straight and true in them.”
Mott’s son Riley Mott will also be represented, saddling Incredibolt (winner of the Virginia Derby) and Albus (the Wood Memorial winner). Both are owned by Pin Oak Stud, now operated by Dana and Ben Bernhard following the passing of founder Jim Bernhard last May.
Stories of Loss and Resilience
The Derby field also carries emotional layers. Mark Glatt’s So Happy, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, runs in memory of the trainer’s late wife, Dena Glatt, who died Feb. 12 at age 57. Mike Smith, a two‑time Derby winner, will ride — at 59, seeking to become the race’s oldest winning jockey.
Bob Baffert’s Potente, second in the Santa Anita Derby, also brings historical echoes — his first two Derby victors, Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998), came via runner‑up finishes in that same prep.
“He was forced to be on the lead because he broke so well in the Santa Anita Derby,” Baffert said. “It’s good to give them a hard race to toughen them up.”
A five‑furlong work in 57.77 secondslast Sunday underscored Potente’s affinity for Churchill. Baffert also sends Litmus Test, who adds blinkers after a seventh in the Arkansas Derby.
Emerging Market, Silent Tactic, and Other Hopefuls
Emerging Market, unbeaten in two starts including the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, will try to become the first horse since Leonatus (1883) to win the Derby in just his third lifetime start.
Trainer Chad Brown said the Candy Ride colt has shown rare composure for such limited experience.
“He’s shown determination and willingness to win, which I like to see,” Brown said. “He’s straightforward, great‑minded, and handy — so many positive attributes for a lightly raced horse.”
Silent Tactic, trained by Mark Casse, enters off a runner‑up finish to Renegade in the Arkansas Derby. Casse explained that the colt had a bruised foot leading up to that race and expects a move forward.
Cherie DeVaux’s Golden Tempo (third in the Louisiana Derby), Kenny McPeek’s Right to Party (second in the Wood Memorial), and Jeff Mullins’s Intrepido (joining from California) round out the U.S.‑based contingent.
International Entrants and Also‑Eligibles
Japan will again have a strong representation with UAE Derby winner Wonder Deanand the undefeated Danon Bourbon, victor of the Fukuryu Stakes. Saudi‑based Six Speed, bred and owned in the U.S., completes the 20‑horse main field.
The also‑eligibles — Great White, Ocelli, Robusta, and Corona de Oro — would need scratches by 9 a.m. Friday to draw in.
Derby Day and Forecast
The Kentucky Derby 152 will be Race 12 on a 14‑race card beginning at 11 a.m., with post time set for 6:57 p.m. ET. The long‑range forecast calls for partly sunny skies and mid‑60s highs, setting the stage for an exceptionally competitive renewal of the Run for the Roses — one in which Renegade’s rail draw adds an extra layer of challenge to an already deep and fascinating field.
