5 Kentucky Derby newcomers to watch in Run for the Roses 2026

Those who are preparing to run a horse in the Kentucky Derby are truly living the dream. Making the race is the goal of everyone associated with the sport. Trainers Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Brad Cox and Bill Mott — as well as jockeys Irad Ortiz Jr.

, John Velasquez and Javier Castellano — are among the horse racing veterans who have reached the Run for the Roses multiple times. But for several jockeys, trainers and ownership groups, this will be a completely new experience. More than two dozen key connections are set to make their Kentucky Derby debut Saturday with hopes of winning the garland of roses.

Here are five Derby newcomers to watch this weekend: Dana Bernhard, Pin Oak Stud owner Bernhard’s Derby debut comes with not one but two horses in the race: Incredibolt and Albus . She and her husband, Jim, were based in Louisiana and began buying thoroughbreds in 2021. A year later, they bought Pin Oak Stud .

The Bernhards purchased both Albus and Incredibolt during the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $320,000 and $75,000, respectively. But Dana Bernhard has been running the barn herself since Jim died just before Thanksgiving last year. She told Thoroughbred Daily News that the two colts have become a source of comfort for her while grieving her loss.