There’s a new horse to know in the 2026 Kentucky Derby field
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Silent Tactic has scratched out of the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
- Great White, trained by John Ennis, will replace Silent Tactic in 20-horse Derby field.
- The 2026 Kentucky Derby will be run Saturday, May 2, at 6:57 p.m. at Churchill Downs.
There’s been a change to the expected 2026 Kentucky Derby field.
On Wednesday morning, Silent Tactic scratched out of the Derby due to a bruised foot. The news was reported by the official Kentucky Derby account on X.
This means Great White, trained by John Ennis, will move into the 20-horse Derby field. Great White was named the first also-eligible horse for the Derby during Saturday afternoon’s post-position draw at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Post time for the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. Saturday.
Great White — who will be ridden by jockey Alex Achard — is No. 21 in the Derby program.
A 3-year-old gelding, Great White was assigned 50-1 odds on the Derby morning-line. The horse is owned by Ennis and Three Chimneys Farm. Great White was bred by Stud TNT.
Great White’s sire is Volatile, who won five of six career races. Great White’s mare is Kelly Bag, who was by Uncle Mo, the sire of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.
The gray/roan horse earned 30 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby via the American qualifying pathway. He won the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes in February at Turfway Park in Florence and ran fifth in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in April at Keeneland.
In winning the John Battaglia Memorial, Great White beat Fulleffort, who is also in the Kentucky Derby field.
All four of Great White’s career starts have come in Kentucky. His first three races were at Turfway, which has a synthetic, Tapeta track surface. Those results were a win in a maiden special weight race, a fifth-place finish in the Leonatus Stakes and the John Battaglia Memorial victory — before his most recent effort at Keeneland.
Ennis, the trainer and co-owner of Great White, is from Ireland. He made his Derby debut as a trainer in 2024 when Epic Ride moved into the field after being on the also-eligible list. Epic Ride finished 14th out of 20 horses in the 2024 Run for the Roses. That’s the only previous Derby runner that Ennis has saddled.
Achard, the jockey for Great White and a native of France, will be making his Kentucky Derby riding debut this year.
Silent Tactic had been in the No. 13 post for the Derby.
In addition to Great White, three other horses were listed as also-eligibles for this year’s Derby. In order of preference, those horses are Ocelli, Robusta and Corona de Oro.
Ocelli is now next up to potentially move into the Derby field.
Those three also-eligible horses can still draw into the Derby field if any other expected Derby runners are scratched by 9 a.m. Friday.
