Churchill Downs 🏇🏾// Sat., May. 2, 2026
- Fink
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
🌹🌹🌹🏇 Happy Kentucky Derby Day! 🏇🌹🌹🌹
The Run for the Roses is here, and we are all pumped to see the fastest two minutes in sports today. Six months of prep races, hours spent finding the best horses each weekend, and so many times coming up just short of the winner have led us here to Louisville, KY, and Churchill Downs. We had an off day yesterday, and regression is real, as we only had one top-pick winner for -$19.12, an ROI of -73.5%. To make matters worse, we only had three more second-pick winners for -$15.72, an ROI of -30.2%. We are still positive on top-pick winners for the week, but the margin is narrowing, and we’re looking to kick hard toward that finish line and cross the wire in our own way.
Congratulations to the connections of Always a Runner, who took down the field yesterday in the Run for the Lilies, aka the Kentucky Oaks. She fought hard to stay just off the pace, jockey Jose Ortiz found the right path, and she powered past the field down the stretch to take home trainer Chad Brown’s first Kentucky Oaks. Can either of them pull the rare Oaks/Derby double in the same year? Tune in later today to find out.
Today’s card has 14 total races, 9 stakes races, and plenty of mint juleps to go around. That’s right: there are two at the end that most people forget about, but they offer some nice chances either to keep building that stack or to win back some of what you gave away.
It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway for the newer readers: today’s featured race comes in the 12th, the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. This is a 1¼‑mile route on the dirt for 3‑year‑olds only who finished as the top point earners, with a purse of $5,000,000. There’s more about the history of this race at the end of this post, so keep scrolling once you get the picks—or don’t—but thank you for reading either way.
We will not see a jockey/trainer combo win the Oaks/Derby double this year like we did in 2024, but if Jose Ortiz can get Golden Tempo across first, he will be only the third jockey to pull off this feat this millennium. Chad Brown can become only the second trainer to win the two biggest races of this weekend since 1952, joining Kenny McPeek in 2024 as the only other trainer in nearly 75 years. We could see even more rarity if Chief Wallabe can cross the line first: a jockey/trainer combo winning the Derby in back‑to‑back years, which has not happened in over 50 years. The last trainer to win back‑to‑back Derbys was Bob Baffert, and that was nearly 20 years ago.
There are so many storylines today on top of the great racing action, and we get to see and talk about them for over eight hours. The weather today is shaping up nicely, with highs in the upper 50s and mostly sunny skies. There was rain early in the day, but we hope that it does not affect the track. They are reporting the dirt as fast and the turf as firm, so we may be in luck with conditions all day.
We have had a great Derby season with you all and cannot thank you enough for reading our posts or using our top-rated selections to cash some tickets. We are small, we are less experienced than some but more than others, but we are here—and we are not going anywhere!
Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late - It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰
Churchill Downs 🏇🏾 // Sat., May 2nd, 2026
First Post @ 11:00 EDT/ 8:00 PDT
R1: 3-11-6
R2: 8-9-1-11
R3: 6-5-9-14
R4Ⓢ: 5-4-1
R5Ⓢ: 7⭑-9-2-6
R6Ⓢ: 6-2-4-1
R7Ⓢ: 5-3-7-8
R8Ⓢ: 6⭑-1-8-6
R9Ⓢ: 4-9-10
R10Ⓢ: 7-11-2-6
R11Ⓢ: 4-9-3-10
🏇R12Ⓢ: 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1)
LL: 18-14-1-8-15-12
Fink: 15-7-14-12-1
Mr. W: 6-18-7-1
R13: 8-11-1
R14: 9-8-3-6
🏇= Featured Race(s)
⭑Best Bet(s)
R5: Yellow Card (#7)
R8: Crude Velocity (#6)
Ⓢtakes Race(s)
R4: 1M Derby City Distaff S. (G1)
7 Furlongs on Dirt for 4 yrs. old & Up
R5: 600K Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. (G2T)
5 1/2 Furlongs on Turf for 3 Yr. Olds & Up
R6: 200K Knick Go Overnight S.
1 Mile on Dirt for 4 Yrs. Old & Up
R7: 1M Longines Churchill Distaff (G2T)
1 Mile on Turf for Fillies & Mares, 4 Yrs. Old & Up
R8: 750K Pat Day Mile S. G2)
1 Miles on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds
R9: 1M American Turf (G1T)
1 1/16 Miles on Turf for 3 Yr. Olds
R10: 1M Churchill Downs S. (G1)
7 Furlongs on Dirt for 4 Yr. Olds & Up
R11: 1.5M Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. (G1T)
1 1/8 Miles on Turf for 4 Yr. Olds & Up
🏇R12: 5M Kentucky Derby (G1)
1 1/4 Miles on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds
The Kentucky Derby, often called “The Run for the Roses,” was first held in 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who was inspired by prestigious European horse races, including England’s Epsom Derby and France’s Grand Prix de Paris. The inaugural race featured 15 three-year-old horses competing over a mile and a half, with Aristides emerging as the first winner. Over time, the race distance was shortened to its current length of 1¼ miles in 1896. The Derby quickly grew in popularity, becoming a central event in American horse racing and establishing traditions like the blanket of roses awarded to the winner and the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” before the race.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the Kentucky Derby solidified its reputation as one of the most prestigious horse races in the world and the first leg of the American Triple Crown, alongside the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Legendary horses such as Secretariat, who set a still-standing speed record in 1973, and Citation and Seattle Slew have contributed to its enduring legacy. The event has also become a major cultural spectacle, known for its elaborate hats, mint juleps, and large crowds that often exceed 150,000 attendees. Today, the Kentucky Derby remains a symbol of tradition, sport, and Southern culture, drawing global attention each year on the first Saturday in May.
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/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors