Renegade Draws No. 1 Post as 4-1 Kentucky Derby Favorite

Renegade opens the kentucky derby as the 4-1 morning-line favorite after drawing the No. 1 post for Saturday's 20-horse race. That leaves the favorite on the rail in a field capped at 20 since 1975, with the inside gate carrying a long drought.

Renegade on the rail

Nick Tammaro made Renegade the choice last Saturday, and the colt answered the draw with the inside stall that no Derby winner has converted since Ferdinand in 1986. The last horse from No. 1 to crack the top three was Lookin At Lee, who finished second in 2017.

Renegade brings the strongest recent form into Churchill Downs. He won the Arkansas Derby in March, took the Sam F. Davis Stakes in February and ran second in the Remsen Stakes in New York City in December.

Commandment and Further Ado

Commandment and Further Ado sit next in the morning line at 6-1. Commandment won the Florida Derby in March and the Fountain of Youth Stakes in February, while Further Ado won the Blue Grass Stakes in Lexington last month and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in November.

Those two also give the Derby a deeper top tier, even with Renegade at the head of the market. Commandment is set to be ridden by Luis Saez in his 13th Derby, while John Velazquez gets the mount on Further Ado.

Churchill Downs field

The race is still set for a full field of 20 horses, though three scratched after the post-position draw: No. 20 Fulleffort, No. 5 Right to Party and No. 13 Silent Tactic. Saturday's Derby is the 12th race at Churchill Downs, with approximate post time at 6:57 p.m. ET.

For bettors, the rail draw and the scratches reshape the opening picture before a horse takes a step. The favorite is in place, the field is trimmed, and the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown is set to go with Renegade carrying the early target.