KY Derby Rankings for 2026

(Nearly winning the G3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park / Photo Courtesy of Gulfstream Park)

Editor’s Note:

We have updated our weekly rankings for this year’s Kentucky Derby — which is approaching as rapidly as a quality 3YO into the stretch. And, for the third straight week, we stay committed to our #1 candidate — Nearly.

According to sources close to the barn of Todd Pletcher, who just so happens to condition the 3YO son of super successful and powerfully popular sire Not This Time, the connections have now planned to skip the next prep at Gulfstream Park — the Fountain of Youth — and will focus on just one more race before this year’s Run for the Roses. And, unless something dramatic changes, that last race will be the G1 Florida Derby.

So, for the time being, we will keep a watchful eye on the works in South Florida and monitor our #1 pick, as the barn continues to tighten all the right screws on the beautiful colt.

And, there is not too much more tightening and fixing to do. After winning an allowance race at Gulfstream Park, when he was nearly knocked off his legs at the start, and returning to win the G3 Holy Bull with a powerful, stalking move from the get-go, Nearly is nearly a done product and just about ready to make his move to Kentucky in the latter stages of April.

In other words?

Nearly looks good.

Nearly is acting good.

Nearly has raced well.

And, Nearly is nearly there. Almost.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of things to be settled before the First Saturday in May.

Far from it, in fact.

Our #2 pick, Further Ado, has not even raced yet for trainer Brad Cox. There is much to do here.

Our #3 pick, Renegade has to come back from his flagship win in the Sam F. Davis to prove in the Tampa Bay Derby or the Bluegrass Stakes that he is not a one-time wonder and can be a strong contender to make the 11/4-mile Derby distance. After all, he is by the world’s greatest sire of this time — Into Mischief.

And, of course, there’s a lot of settling out yet to be done with all of the prospects currently trained by the Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has had his history of winning the Derby and, at the same time, his well-documented troubles at Churchill Downs.

Is his best horse / contender Brant, our #7 pick?

Is his best horse / contender Plutarch, our #10 pick, who just won the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita?

Is his best horse / contender Boyd, our #12 pick?

Is his best horse / contender Litmus Test, our #14 selection, at this time?

Or…

Is his best horse / contender the lightly-raced, wunderkind Potente, our #16 selection? All he has done, to date, is win his only start of his career, this year, and returned to the practice field like a lion tears into a slice of prime rib.

And…

Finally…

We have four new horses to make their first appearance in the rankings this week. That list includes:

#17 — Intrepido

#18 — So Happy

#19 — Chip Honcho, who just ran a helluva 2nd in the G2 Risen Star — not backing down a step to the undefeated Paladin.

#20 — Jackson Hole, who is also undefeated and looking to jump into the Stakes ranks for the first time very soon in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.

Lots to decide yet.

Lots of races to draw up on the board.

Lots of results to take into effect.

Lots of major decisions yet to render.

But for now?

Clearly…

It’s Nearly…