Kentucky Derby 2026: Litmus Test in as Chip Honcho will await Preakness
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The field for next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby underwent a slight revision just hours before the post-position draw as Chip Honcho was removed from consideration, opening up a spot for Litmus Test to join the field.
The Derby attracted 24 entrants, though only 20 will be permitted to run. Four horses were placed on the also-eligible list and will need a scratch by 9 a.m. Friday in order to get into the field.
Chip Honcho, who won the Gun Runner Stakes and was second to Paladin in the Risen Star Stakes, most recently finished fifth, 11 1/2 lengths behind Emerging Market and Pavlovian in the Risen Star. Asmussen had been noncommittal about the Derby for most of the week leading up to Saturday’s entry day, where he finally pulled the plug.
“Ultimately, I don’t have an excuse for a bad race in the Louisiana Derby,” Asmussen said. “Avoiding running in the Derby off of that and pointing to the Preakness gives us a better chance to get back on track. When I talk about back on track, Chip Honcho is a horse that ran a 7 [Ragozin Sheet number] at a mile and an eighth in February, not a lot of them are capable of doing that.”
Asmussen added that Chip Honcho is not as consistent as he would like. Asmussen said he’s not sure how the horse would react to a crowd of 150,000 such as what could be at the Derby. The Preakness, being held at Laurel this year, is going to be limited to 4,800 fans.
“Put that under the common sense category,” Asmussen said.
Chip Honcho worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Saturday at Churchill.
Chip Honcho’s defection opened a spot for Litmus Test to join the field. Litmus Test, trained by six-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert, won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity last December. In two starts this year, Litmus Test finished third in the Grade 2 Rebel and seventh in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.
Baffert had taken blinkers off Litmus Test for the Arkansas Derby but will put them back on for the Kentucky Derby. He also named Martin Garcia to ride. Garcia was aboard for a Thursday workout from the gate here.
“We tried to change things up, took the blinkers off, tried to take him back and he just didn’t run that day, I would draw line through that,” Baffert said of the Arkansas Derby. “If you go back, he has some good races. He’s a bit of a longshot, he should be; blinkers back on, he worked really well the other day. If he hadn’t worked like that I probably wouldn’t have entered him.”
Baffert also has Potente in the Derby field. Potente won the San Felipe in his second start before finishing second in the Santa Anita Derby.
With Litmus Test moving into the field, that left Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta and Corona de Oro, in that order, as the four horses that were entered as also-eligibles. They would need horses to scatch before Friday at 9 a.m.
In each of the last five Derbies, there has been at least one scratch post draw, including a whopping five in 2023.
Among the last rider assignments to be made, Brian Hernandez Jr. was named on both Six Speed, who is in the body of the field, and Corona de Oro, who is designated as his second call. Hernandez won the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan.
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