Why Renegade's Kentucky Derby post position won't take him out of race
Renegade’s No. 1 post position for Kentucky Derby 2026 at Churchill Downs won't take him out of the Run for the Roses. This race will favor closers.
The way Kentucky Derby 152 is shaping up, Saturday’s Run for the Roses will belong to the closers. Not the speedsters. Not the stalkers.
The deep closers. “Oh, most definitely,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux, whose colt Golden Tempo fits into that category. “This is a fair race.
” By that, she means the presence of every kind of running style in the 20-horse field will keep it honest. In smaller fields, races may have too few closers to too many stalkers and it throws off the pace. Or too much speed that sometimes means the winner is based more on stamina outlasting the rest of the pack.
The Derby will blend it all together, letting the speed jump out early and the stalkers stay within striking distance. Then when the time is right, one of the deep closers will emerge to cross the finish line first. Keep an eye on the pace through the first half-mile fraction.