Notable: McPeek last year became the first trainer to win the Kentucky Oaks (with Thorpedo Anna) and the Kentucky Derby (with Mystik Dan) since Ben Jones in 1952. His horse in this year’s Oaks is the No. 10, Take Charge Milady, who opened at 12-1.

You get a lot of “War-Something” names in Kentucky Derby history. We had War Cloud in 1918 and War Emblem in 2002, for example. Both go hard. But War Admiral has the most gravitas by far—both because he won the Triple Crown in 1937 and because his name commanded such immense respect.

Former MLB player Jayson Werth is returning as a horse owner at the Kentucky Derby. Werth co-owned Dornoch in the 2024 Derby, which finished 10th but won the Belmont Stakes. This year, Werth and former baseball agent Jeff Berry are backing Flying Mohawk.