2026 Kentucky Derby Picks: Best Exotic Bets

Are you ready for the most exciting two minutes in sports? I'm talking about the 2026 Kentucky Derby - the 152nd Run for the Roses. Held at the Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, KY, the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. It's an event that encourages even novice bettors to take a shot. With winners coming in at 7-1, like Sovereignty last year, or as high as 80-1 (Rich Strike in 2022), betting on the Kentucky Derby can be profitable. Cash in on a Kentucky Derby exotic bet, and it can get even better. Below are our top 2026 Kentucky Derby picks and best exotic bets.

How to Bet on the 2026 Kentucky Derby >>

2026 Kentucky Derby Picks: Best Exotic Bets

What's an Exotic Bet?

An exotic bet sounds sexy, but they are really just horse racing's version of parlays. You can put money on horses in different races. For the sake of this post, we will talk about them in reference to just the Kentucky Derby or single race exotic bets (i.e., exacta, trifecta, superfecta).

Let's go over what type of exotic bet is, along with our favorite picks for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

Exacta

An exacta is a single wager in which a bettor picks which horses will finish in first and second place. It is harder, of course, to pick the first two horses to finish, but if you do, the payout will be so much more than if you had just picked a single horse to win, place or show. I like to keep it simple. Here is my exacta for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby:

• Renegade/Commandment

Renegade is an easy pick to finish first since he is the betting favorite. However, he does have a few things working against him. The last time a horse in Post Position 1 won the Derby was Ferdinand in 1986. That doesn't mean he can't, of course. Renegade won his last two races and has never finished lower than third. Despite the draw, he'll probably be in contention down the stretch.

As for Commandment, he has the second-best odds to win, but may be an even better pick to finish first. In four races dating back to November of last year, he finished in first place four times. Trainer Brad H. Cox is one of the best in the business. It would be surprising if Commandment didn’t finish in the top three.

Trifecta Box

With a trifecta, you are betting on who finishes first, second and third. Like this:

• Commandment/Further Ado/The Puma

By making it a trifecta box, you are betting that these three horses will finish in the top three, but in no particular order.

I picked Commandment because a horse that won its last four races will probably do pretty well in this one.

Further Ado won three of his last four races, has won twice at Churchill Downs and is trained by the legendary Brad H. Cox.

As for The Puma, he finished in the money in his last four races. His trainer (Gustavo Delgado) has a Derby winner under his belt, as does his jockey (Javier Castellano).

Superfecta Box

For a superfecta, you are betting on the top four finishers. But by making it a box, your bet is on four horses to finish in the top four in any particular order. I'm going with:

• Renegade/Right to Party/Chief Wallabee/Further Ado

Being in Post Position 1 could keep Renegade from winning, but the Kentucky Derby favorite will still run a good race; I like him to finish inside the top four.

Right to Party is in Post Position 5, and while he's a longshot to win, I'm picking him because horses that start in his post have done well over the years (10 winners since 1930, eight runner-ups).

Nine of the last 15 winners started in Post Position 13 or wider, which attracted me to Further Ado in Post Position 18. As for Chief Wallabee, trainer William I. Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado won the Derby last year with Sovereignty.

2026 Kentucky Derby Field

*Silent Tactic was scratched and replaced with Great White (+5000) as an alternative in Post Position 21. Fullefort was scratched and replaced with Ocelli (+5000) as an alternative in Post Position 22.