2026 Kentucky Derby Recap: Absolute Chaos, Collisions, and a Brotherly Heist at the Wire
If you tell me you had this Derby figured out before the race, I’m not arguing with you. I’m just assuming you’re lying.
Because this wasn’t a horse race.
This was 20 horses, 10 furlongs, and about half the field realizing mid-race they made a terrible life decision.
The 2026 Kentucky Derby delivered exactly what it always does: chaos, carnage, and enough bad beats to ruin your weekend before dinner.
Let’s start with the nonsense.
#17 Six Speed
What exactly was the plan here?
This horse came blasting out of the gate quarter horsing it like the race ended at the 3/4 pole, and then just folded up immediately.
Backed through the field like he realized mid-race this wasn’t what he signed up for.
At that point, what are we doing?
Why even run a horse like that in the Derby?
You’re not winning. You’re not learning anything. All you’re doing is emptying the tank, getting embarrassed, and potentially ruining the horse.
Absolute zero upside. Complete non-factor.
Bob Baffert
Ran two horses.
Both ran so poorly I’m not even sure they qualify as participants.
Honestly, it might’ve been strategic. Run that bad and you don’t even have to worry about a post-race drug test. Just quietly pack it up and head home like nothing happened.
Impressive in a very concerning way.
Ocelli: Stretch Run Wrecking Ball
There are bad trips, and then there’s whatever Ocelli did.
When the real running started, this horse turned into a moving roadblock and absolutely wiped out multiple legitimate contenders like it was part of the assignment.
Drifting, bumping, creating a domino effect in the stretch of the biggest race in the country.
You wait all day, all week, all year for a once in a lifetime clean shot and then you get taken out by that. A 70-1 maiden who needed 2 scratches to get in. And to make matters worse, he finished third.
Brutal.
Kentucky State Veterinarians
We were told all week who was “fine” and who wasn’t.
Renegade had quarter cracks. Golden Tempo had cracked heels, foot tenderness, modified training… basically every red flag you could throw on a horse.
And what happens?
They run 1-2 and bring in the exacta.
Just an all-time middle finger to the know-it-all vets and Twitter trainers who swear they have every horse figured out from a 12-second gallop clip.
Credit Where It’s Due
Irad Ortiz Jr. on Renegade (for Mike Repole)
That ride was ridiculous.
Bad post. Immediate contact. Traffic within the first eighth of a mile.
And somehow, Irad still bullied his way into a perfect early position.
That’s not luck. That’s just being better than everyone else.
He gave Renegade every chance to win that race. Every inch was earned. And the reality is simple: the post position cost him the Derby.
Even with the lead block from his fullback Ocelli, he still gets nailed on the wire. And that’s what makes it even tougher to swallow. He did everything right, had things set up in front of him, and still ends up on the wrong side of it.
And who beats him?
His own brother.
Jose Ortiz on Golden Tempo
While everyone else was treating this like a sprint early, Jose rode it like it was 2 1/4 miles.
He was so far back early you almost forgot he was in the race.
But that’s exactly why he won.
No traffic. No kickback. No collapsing longshots stopping in his face.
Just sitting there, waiting, while everyone else did the dirty work and heavy lifting.
And when he finally made the move?
Clear path. No excuses. Perfect timing.
When it matters most, and there’s no funny business and tag teaming, Jose Ortiz is as dangerous as it gets.
Danon Bourbon
You never know what you’re getting with the Japanese runners.
This one did not come in with the same hype as Forever Young a couple of years ago. They put him on a plane to Kentucky. Nobody had any idea of the quality of races he was coming out of, or what he had been beating in Japan. Just a plane ticket and a spot in the starting gate.
In a pace that completely fell apart, he was the lone survivor that didn’t fold like a lawn chair and earned his connections a nice check.
Horses I WANT Out of This Derby
Obviously, Renegade and Golden Tempo. That’s your top tier coming out of this race.
But the one I’m not backing off for a second?
Chief Wallabee
I said it before the Derby and I’ll say it again now.
This horse hasn’t even scratched the surface.
Got absolutely T-boned in the stretch and knocked off stride, thanks to the Ocelli chain reaction and still stayed on and finished.
Most of this field would’ve packed it in immediately, like the others involved in the bumping.
There’s more here. A lot more.
I think we see this horse in Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes and in a smaller field, with less traffic, we see the real Chief Wallabee on display.
Undercard Performances Worth Talking About
I just want to acknowledge a couple of other very impressive performances on the day.
T. O. Elvis
Let’s not talk about the CAW fiasco involved here because we’re trying to stay positive, but this horse ran a hole in the wind.
He ran by some of the best one turn horses we have in the country like they were tied to the eighth pole.
And congrats to all the Elvis bettors. You got $13 for your $27 winner. Just a beautiful experience all around.
Crude Velocity
What a surprise. Bob Baffert has a really fast horse.
This may have been the performance of the day.
He flanked a FAST runaway leader in Englishman, who was very good in defeat, and still had enough to go by and win the Pat Day Mile. Not the cleanest break, but Florent Geroux gave this horse a great ride, angling him into the clear and putting him right where he needed to be stalking the lone threat in the field.
Mid-stretch it looked like Englishman might have enough to kick on but Crude Velocity found more and went by late to get it done and earn his first graded stakes win.
*Drug test pending*
We’ll see what’s next for the Baffert runner, but if he was mine, the Grade 1 Woody Stephens going 7 furlongs on Belmont Stakes weekend feels like a layup.
Rhetorical
Lastly, Rhetorical.
The New York-bred son of Not This Time absolutely romped in the Turf Classic.
Trainer Will Walden has quietly burst onto the scene over the last few years, and this felt like a “we’re here” kind of performance.
Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Rhetorical straight to the front, went wire to wire, and nobody ever made it interesting.
Never threatened. Never in doubt.
Second Grade 1 win, and it looked easy.
To close:
Between the chaos in the Derby and the legit performances on the undercard, this was everything you want from a day like this.
Bad beats, big efforts, and a couple horses you better keep your eye on moving forward.
See you in 2 weeks for the Preakness.
