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Bob Baffert has the most Kentucky Derby wins of any trainer entering horses in this year's race (6)
Baffert has two horses running in 2026: Potente (23/1) and Litmus Test (34/1)
Bob Baffert is the most successful trainer taking part in this year's Kentucky Derby. He has 6 officials wins in the race.
Medina Spirit, Baffert's winning horse in 2021, tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone after the race and got disqualified. As a result, Baffert was banned for a time from participating in the Kentucky Derby.
He returned in 2025 and is back again in 2026 with two entries, both of which are long shots to win: Potente (23/1) and Litmus Test (34/1).
Potente pays out as much as $2300 for every $100 bet should he go on to win this year's Kentucky Derby.
Potente finished a strong 2nd at the Santa Anita Derby (G1), his most recent start, and 1st at the San Felipe (G2). Both finishes can be seen as strong outings leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
Even better, Potente completed his major Kentucky Derby preparations on Saturday with a five-furlong bullet drill in :57.80, the fastest of 23 workers. Later in the day, he received post position 14 for the 152nd running of the first leg of the Triple Crown.
“I didn’t think he was going that fast, I look down [at the stopwatch] and go ‘Oh, he was going a little fast,’ but [rider Martin Garcia] had a hold of him the whole way,” trainer Bob Baffert told Daily Racing Form.
“It looks like it took nothing out of him, so that’s the important thing,” Baffert told DRF. “You don’t really want to see them work that fast, but I’ve had horses work that fast and run really well.”
While he is identified as a speed horse who can get to the front early, Polente is also a lightly raced horse coming into the Kentucky Derby.
Litmus Test, meanwhile, finished poorly in his last start at the Arkansas Derby, coming in 7th place.
Previous to that one, he finished 3rd in the Rebel Stakes.
Litmus Test's only graded race win was at the 2025 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).
Litmus Test has a solid number of starts compared to lightly raced rivals but remains a long shot to win.
2026 Kentucky Derby Morning Odds
Odds courtesy of BetPhoenix here
POST POSITION - HORSE - ODDS
1 Renegade 5-1
2 Albus 50-1
3 Intrepido 55-1
4 Litmus Test 34-1
5 Right to Party SCRATCHED
6 Commandment 7-1
7 Danon Bourbon 14-1
8 So Happy 6-1
9 The Puma SCRATCHED
10 Wonder Dean 20-1
11 Incredibolt 27-1
12 Chief Wallabee 9-1
13 Silent Tactic SCRATCHED
14 Potente 23-1
15 Emerging Market 11-1
16 Pavlovian 52-1
17 Six Speed 40-1
18 Further Ado 7-1
19 Golden Tempo 36-1
20 Fulleffort SCRATCHED
21 Great White 29-1
22 Ocelli 50-1
23 Robusta 50-1
AE-24 Corona de Oro SCRATCHED
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
