Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

It says a bit about the open nature of this year’s Kentucky Derby picture that the top individual still doesn’t hold favoritism in Pool 4 of the Future Wager.

It was an exciting week for Kentucky Oaks contenders, as the three top horses on the Power Rankings all raced. The results have seen a bit of a shake-up; all three remain highly placed, but some others have forced their way up as well.

Ted Noffey’s withdrawal wasn’t the only drama in the week. We were scheduled to have three Derby preps and two Oaks preps this weekend, but the weather-related cancellations meant we ended up with only one for each.

It’s been a quiet week for the Power Rankings. With just one race containing Derby points – and none in North America – there is very little change to the list.

Thirty-nine horses were individually-named options in this week’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3, but the winner of the only Derby points-scoring race wasn’t one of them.

From now until mid-April, there is a race where points are available on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, so we will have Derby-relevant horses running for the next 13 weeks.

So, if anything, the picture is a little murkier this week. However, we do see some notable changes among Derby contenders.

We’ve reached the end of 2025, and the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders for 2026 are in their final days as juveniles.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Mr. A. P. sustained an injury in training, likely sidelining him until at least the end of March.

With only one race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and none on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, change has been minimal in the Power Rankings this week.