The 2026 Arkansas Derby takes place this Saturday, March 28th at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The 90th running of this Grade 1 race will feature an 8-horse field competing for a $1,500,000 purse and 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner.
Renegade (3/2), Silent Tactic (5/2), and Litmus Test (5/1) are the three morning line favorites heading into the race.
In this article I will outline the morning line odds for the 2026 Arkansas Derby, give my pick to win, and provide a 3 step guide to betting on the Arkansas Derby online at BetOnline.ag.
2026 Arkansas Derby Morning Line Odds
Here are the morning line odds and post positions for this year’s Arkansas Derby. These odds will shift as the race approaches based on how the betting public wagers on each horse.
- Redland Rebels 15-1
- Silent Tactic 5-2
- Blackout Time 6-1
- Bricklin 20-1
- Taptastic 20-1
- Renegade 3-2
Napoleon Solo 6-1- Exosome 20-1
- Litmus Test 5-1
*Napoleon Solo was originally entered in the 7th post position but has been scratched. He will instead run in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4th.
Renegade is the 3-2 morning line favorite off of a dominant 3 3/4 length win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in February. He is the only horse in the field with experience racing at the 1 1/8 mile distance, having finished second in the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct last fall. Silent Tactic (5-2) has been the most consistent horse at Oaklawn this winter with a win in the Southwest Stakes and runner-up finishes in both the Rebel Stakes and Smarty Jones Stakes. Litmus Test (5-1) rounds out the top tier after finishing third in the Rebel behind Silent Tactic. He is trained by Bob Baffert, who has won this race five times and will have the blinkers removed for Saturday.
My Pick
I’m going with Renegade at 3-2 to win the 2026 Arkansas Derby. Todd Pletcher has won this race five times and his horse has the best speed figures in the field. The fact that champion jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. chose to fly to Hot Springs for this mount rather than ride in the Florida Derby at his home track of Gulfstream Park tells you how highly connections regard this horse. Renegade already has experience at the 1 1/8 mile distance from the Remsen, which is a real advantage over most of this field that will be stretching out for the first time. The seven-week rest since the Sam F. Davis should have him fresh, and I expect him to stalk the pace before pulling away in the stretch.
If you are looking for a value play, Litmus Test at 5-1 is worth a look. He has posted triple-digit speed figures in the past, and the blinkers-off move could help him settle better and finish stronger than he did in the Rebel.
Play: Renegade 3-2
About the Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is one of the most important Kentucky Derby prep races on the calendar. It awards 100 qualifying points to the winner, which is enough to virtually guarantee a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. The race has produced its share of Kentucky Derby champions, including Smarty Jones (2004), American Pharoah (2015), and most recently Mystik Dan, who finished third in the 2024 Arkansas Derby before winning the Kentucky Derby by a nose. Five of the last eight Kentucky Derby winners to come out of the Arkansas Derby have done so since 2004, making it one of the most reliable paths to the Triple Crown.
The race will be broadcast live on FS1 as part of the “America’s Day at the Races” programming and is also available on FanDuel TV.
How To Bet On The Arkansas Derby Online
Follow this 3 step guide to get your Arkansas Derby bets placed online.
Step 1. Open a BetOnline.ag Account
First you will need an online betting account. BetOnline.ag is our top pick for horse racing betting. Their racebook is easy to navigate, they offer a 9% daily horse racing rebate, and new players receive up to $250 in free bets on their first deposit.
Click here to visit BetOnline.ag, select ‘Join Now’ on the home page and complete the short sign up form. Here’s our full BetOnline review.
Step 2. Deposit Funds
Log into your BetOnline account and click the ‘Deposit’ button. Choose your preferred deposit method and follow the instructions to fund your account. BetOnline accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Ethereum and several other options.
New sign ups get a 50% matching bonus up to $250 in Free Bets. Use bonus code FREE250 when making your deposit to claim the offer.
Step 3. Place Your Bets
You have two ways to bet on the Arkansas Derby at BetOnline:
Fixed Odds (Sports Section): Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu, open the ‘Horse Racing’ drop down and select ‘Horses Daily’ -> ‘Oaklawn Park’. The fixed odds lock in your price at the time you place the bet.
Parimutuel (Racebook Section): Select ‘Racebook’ from the top navigation bar, then choose ‘Oaklawn Park’ under the ‘Thoroughbred’ header. The Racebook gives you access to the full range of horse racing wagers including win/place/show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and multi-race bets like the Pick 4. With parimutuel betting, the odds are not locked in at the time of your wager – they are determined by the total amount of money bet into the pool by post time.
Check out our horse race betting page for a breakdown of all the different types of wagers you can make.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit BetOnline.ag.
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