(Paladin / Photo by Hodges Photography & Courtesy of the Fair Grounds)

From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers:

PALADIN, CHIEF WALLABEE CLOSE AS 8-1 CO-FAVORITES

AT CONCLUSION OF KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER POOL 5

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – Seven weeks in advance of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I), Paladin, winner of the Remsen (Grade II) and Risen Star (GII), and Fountain of Youth runner-up Chief Wallabeeclosed as 8-1 co-favorites in Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW).

The Chad Brown-trained Paladin, who runs next in the April 4 Blue Grass (GI) at Keeneland, had $25,772 in Win bets while the Bill Mott-trained Chief Wallabee, scheduled to make his next start in the Feb. 28 Florida Derby (GI), handled $24,790 – the difference of just $982.

In the lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which was conducted concurrently with the KDFW Pool 5, unbeaten Demoiselle (GII) and Suncoast winner Zany closed as the clear 4-1 favorite.

Horses in order of favoritism in the three-day March 13-15 KDFW Pool 5 (with trainer, sire, odds and

$2 Win Will Pays):

#25 Paladin (Chad Brown, Gun Runner, 8-1, $18.56)

#6 Chief Wallabee (Bill Mott, Constitution, 8-1, $19.30)

#24 Nearly (Todd Pletcher, Not This Time, 12-1, $26.36)

#9 Commandment (Brad Cox, Into Mischief, 12-1, $26.58)

#30 Renegade (Todd Pletcher, Into Mischief, 13-1, $28.98)

#40 All Other 3-Year-Olds (14-1, $31.14)

#18 Incredibolt (Riley Mott, Bolt d’Oro, 16-1, $35.38)

#34 Silent Tactic (Mark Casse, Tacitus, 17-1, $37.90)

#27 Potente (Bob Baffert, Into Mischief, 18-1, $39.90)

#5 Cherokee Nation (Bob Baffert, Not This Time, 19-1, $40.88)

#39 The Puma (Gustavo Delgado, Essential Quality, 23-1, $49.70)

#15 Further Ado (Brad Cox, Gun Runner, 25-1, $52.80)

#8 Class President (Todd Pletcher, Uncle Mo, 28-1, $58.04)

#12 Emerging Market (Chad Brown, Candy Ride, 33-1, $68.34)

#16 Golden Tempo (Cherie DeVaux, Curlin, 36-1, $74.90)

#29 Reagan’s Honor (Cherie DeVaux, Honor A.P., 38-1, $79.64)

#4 Canaletto (Chad Brown, Into Mischief, 40-1, $82.40)

#1 Blackout Time (Kenny McPeek, Not This Time, 41-1, $85.10)

#20 Iron Honor (Chad Brown, Nyquist, 41-1, $85.96)

#7 Chip Honcho (Steve Asmussen, Connect, 45-1, $93.12)

#21 Litmus Test (Bob Baffert, Nyquist, 45-1, $93.20)

#2 Brant (Bob Baffert, Gun Runner, 55-1, $112.82)

#38 Talk to Me Jimmy (Rudy Rodriguez, Modernist, 55-1, $113.24)

#23 Napoleon Solo (Chad Summers, Liam’s Map, 57-1, $116.72)

#11 Danon Bourbon (Manabu Ikezoe, Maxfield, 58-1, $119.58)

#3 Buetane (Bob Baffert, Tiz the Law, 63-1, $128.56)

#35 Six Speed (Bhupat Seemar, Not This Time, 66-1, $135.86)

#19 Intrepido (Jeff Mullins, Maximus Mischief, 69-1, $141.40)

#17 Great White (John Ennis, Volatile, 84-1, $171.62)

#28 Pyromancer (JPN) (Keiji Yoshimura, Pyro, 85-1, $172.28)

#14 Fulleffort (Brad Cox, Liam’s Map, 89-1, $181.14)

#36 So Happy (Mark Glatt, Runhappy, 103-1, $208.12)

#22 Lucky Kid (JPN) (Yukihiro Kato, Discreet Cat, 150-1, $302.48)

#10 Confessional (Brad Cox, Essential Quality, 156-1, $315.12)

#33 Secured Freedom (Tim Yakteen, Practical Joke, 160-1, $323.76)

#31 Robusta (Doug O’Neill, Accelerate, 174-1, $351.04)

#32 Salloom (Bhupat Seemar, Authentic, 181-1, $364.92)

#26 Pavlovian (Doug O’Neill, Pavel, 210-1, $422.36)

#37 Stark Contrast (Michael McCarthy, Caravaggio, 227-1, $457.80)

#13 Express Kid (Justin Evans, Bodexpress, 259-1, $521.56)

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, offered for a 28th consecutive year, enables bettors to wager on possible Kentucky Derby contenders in advance of America’s greatest at odds that could be more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will be run for the 152nd consecutive year on Saturday, May 2.

The final odds for the Oaks Future Wager:

#39 Zany (Todd Pletcher, American Pharoah, 4-1, $10.06)

#3 Bella Ballerina (Brendan Walsh, Street Sense, 7-1, $17.80)

#8 Explora (Bob Baffert, Blame, 8-1, $18.62)

#34 She Be Smooth (Todd Pletcher, Lexitonian, 11-1, $25.40)

#22 Meaning (Michael McCarthy, Gun Runner, 12-1, $26.50)

#4 Bottle of Rouge (Bob Baffert, Vino Rosso, 14-1, $30.40)

#29 Percy’s Bar (Ben Colebrook, Upstart, 15-1, $32.12)

#40 All Other 3-Year-Old Fillies (17-1, $37.68)

#11 French Friction (Mark Casse, City of Light, 18-1, $38.96)

#6 Counting Stars (Mark Casse, Honor A.P., 22-1, $46.36)

#9 Forced Entry (Bob Baffert, Charlatan, 27-1, $57.24)

#13 Just Singing (Kent Sweezey, Justify, 45-1, $93.76)

#7 Dazzling Dame (Brittany Russell, Girvin, 48-1, $99.08)

#19 Luv Your Neighbor (Mike Stidham, Constitution, 51-1, $104.98)

#27 Paradise (Brad Cox, Gun Runner, 54-1, $111.18)

#16 Labwah (Salem bin Ghadayer, Charlatan, 54-1, $111.84)

#26 On Time Girl (Brad Cox, Not This Time, 56-1, $114.62)

#10 French Blue (Bob Baffert, Gun Runner, 61-1, $124.46)

#18 Love and Trust (Cherie DeVaux, Constitution, 62-1, $127.52)

#17 Life of Joy (Brad Cox, Gun Runner, 64-1, $131.64)

#33 Search Party (Mark Casse, Gun Runner, 65-1, $132.82)

#25 Nycon (Whit Beckman, Nyquist, 72-1, $147.14)

#38 Taken by the Wind (Kenny McPeek, Rock Your World, 73-1, $148.24)

#31 Prom Queen (Brad Cox, Quality Road, 83-1, $168.18)

#24 Newtown Pike (Lindsay Schultz, McKinzie, 83-1, $168.94)

#5 Brooklyn Blonde (Michael McCarthy, Gun Runner, 98-1, $199.54)

#23 My Miss Mo (Saffie Joseph Jr., Uncle Mo, 101-1, $205.14)

#36 Sticker Shock (Brad Cox, Uncle Mo, 102-1, $206.76)

#35 Sneaky Good (Brad Cox, Into Mischief, 112-1, $227.18)

#37 Swing Vote (Bill Mott, Constitution, 112-1, $227.96)

#20 Market Chill (Chad Brown, Not This Time, 119-1, $240.58)

#1 A. P.’s Girl (Peter Eurton, Honor A.P., 129-1, $261.38)

#30 Powered by Family (Cherie DeVaux, Quality Road, 133-1, $269.84)

#2 Bank Shot (Ryan Hanson, Game Winner, 145-1, $293.42)

#12 Hit Parade (Brad Cox, Street Sense, 177-1, $357.44)

#32 Resplendence (Paulo Lobo, Justify, 183-1, $368.14)

#14 Kadabra (Todd Pletcher, Good Magic, 228-1, $459.72)

#21 Maximum Offer (Kenny McPeek, Maxfield, 243-1, $489.20)

#15 Knickleandime (Randy Morse, Knicks Go, 250-1, $502.64)

#28 Pashmina (Rob Atras, Constitution, 500-1, $1,002.86)

Total handle for the KDFW pool – the fifth of six scheduled wagering pools in advance of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby – was $310,430 ($209,189 in the Win pool and $101,241 in Exactas) compared to last year’s $430,006 ($328,063 in the Win pool and $102,003 in Exactas).

Betting on the Oaks Future Wager totaled $76,059 ($55,444 in the Win pool and $20,615 in Exactas) versus 2025’s $79,974 ($58,629 in the Win pool and $21,345 in Exactas).

The Oaks/Derby Double, which requires bettors to correctly select the winners of both the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) on May 1 and the next day’s Derby, handled $69,961 compared to last year’s $83,716.

Betting on all future wagers over the three-day period, which included an Oaks/Derby Future Double, was $456,450 compared to last year’s $593,696 and 2024’s $458,269.

Through the first five pools, a total of $1,733,956 has been bet on Derby future wagers versus last year’s $1,847,627.

The year’s sixth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool is set for Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4. Different from the first five pools of the KDFW, Pool 6 will close prior to the first Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series race on April 4.

Visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager for more information.

ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK                                                                                                

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.