Sports
Kentucky Derby favorite Renegade draws the dreaded rail
People show up for the first day of horse racing on opening day of the Spring Meet ahead of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.Apr. 25, 2026.
Early favorite Renegade was picked to start on the rail for the 152nd Kentucky Derby during the official draw on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Renegade, the Arkansas Derby winner owned by American billionaire Mike Repole, opened at 4-1 as the 20-horse field became official for the Run for the Roses on Saturday, May 2, in Louisville, Ky.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has raced Renegade just twice as a 3-year-old, but he has come through both times. He came from well back to capture the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs, then he pulled away to win the Arkansas Derby by four lengths on March 28 at Oaklawn Park.
Renegade’s jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., has not won a Derby in nine tries, but he has raced to victory in two Belmont Stakes (2016, 2022).
Renegade’s assignment to the first gate will have it fighting against history along with the other 19 horses. Ferdinand, the Derby champion in 1986, was the last horse to win from the rail. Seven other horses have won from Gate No. 1, but most were long ago when Derby fields were smaller.
Commandment, which will start from the No. 6 gate, and Further Ado, which will come from the outside at No. 18, both opened at 6-1. They are trained by Brad Cox.
Bob Baffert, the legendary trainer who returned to the Kentucky Derby last May after serving a three-year suspension, has two horses in the field: Potente and Litmus Test
Here’s the entire field with their opening odds:
1) Renegade 4-1
2) Albus 30-1
3) Intrepido 50-1
4) Litmus Test 30-1
5) Right To Party 30-1
6) Commandment 6-1
7) Danon Bourbon 20-1
8) So Happy 15-1
9) The Puma 10-1
10) Wonder Dean 30-1
11) Incredibolt 20-1
12) Chief Wallabee 8-1
13) Silent Tactic 20-1
14) Potente 20-1
15) Emerging Market 15-1
16) Pavlovian 30-1
17) Six Speed 50-1
18) Further Ado 6-1
19) Golden Tempo 30-1
20) Fulleffort 20-1
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres upend Giants on Jake Cronenworth's late heroics
Aug 1, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Jake Cronenworth’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the San Diego Padres to a 6-5 win over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Xander Bogaerts started the winning rally by lining a double off Dylan Smith (0-3). After Freddy Fermin sacrificed Bogaerts to third, pinch hitter Gavin Sheets grounded out to third. San Francisco manager Tony Vitello ordered an intentional walk to Fernando Tatis Jr.
Cronenworth got behind Smith 0-2 and fouled off four pitches before lining a fastball into center field for his sixth career walk-off hit. It was San Diego’s eighth walk-off win of the season.
Mason Miller (4-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, although he blew his first save in 29 chances this season. The Giants’ Osleivis Basabe rifled a two-run double to the left field wall in the eighth to erase a 5-3 deficit.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. San Francisco’s Tyler Mahle allowed five runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. San Diego’s Walker Buehler left after 4 1/3 innings, eight hits and three runs, walking two and fanning one.
Jackson Merrill gave the Padres a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, lining a two-out double to the wall in left-center that scored Manny Machado and Ty France.
The Giants responded with three runs in the third. Basabe, who got the start after Luis Arraez was scratched due to cramping, walloped a two-run homer — his first of 2026 — to left that traveled an estimated 402 feet. Three straight two-out singles led to Willy Adames’ bases-loaded walk that put San Francisco ahead.
The lead didn’t last long. Fermin put San Diego back in front in the fourth, lining a first-pitch fastball an estimated 383 feet to the left field seats with Luis Rengifo aboard. It was Fermin’s fourth homer.
Fermin upped the Padres’ advantage to 5-3 in the sixth when he drilled a two-out single to left that scored Bogaerts, who singled and advanced to second on a balk.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rafael Navarro's late penalty kick lifts Rapids past Austin FC
Aug 1, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rapids forward Rafael Navarro (9) and Austin FC defender Brendan Hines-Ike (4) battle for the ball in the first half at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Rafael Navarro converted a penalty kick in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give the Colorado Rapids a 1-0 victory over Austin FC on Saturday night in Commerce City, Colo.
Darren Yapi fired a shot from outside the box that Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver punched away with a diving save. But as Navarro chased down the rebound just inside the penalty area, he was fouled by Przemyslaw Placheta, and a penalty kick was awarded.
Navarro tucked the ensuing penalty inside the lower left corner as Stuver dove to his right.
Rapids goalkeeper Nico Hansen saved a shot from Myrto Uzuni in the 98th minute to preserve his third clean sheet of the season.
Stuver recorded seven saves while Hansen registered three. Austin (4-9-5, 17 points) is still in search of its first MLS road win of the season (0-7-3).
Colorado (7-10-1, 22 points) started on the front foot, earning five corner kicks in the opening 15 minutes. The Rapids finished with an 11-0 advantage over the Verde in corners.
In the fifth minute, Paxten Aaronson’s in-swinging corner found Rapids teammate Loic Williams, whose header was blocked.
Moments later, Aaronson again delivered a dangerous ball into the box, and Wayne Frederick met it at the back post, heading it into the top of the netting.
Hansen went to his knees to smother Uzuni’s shot after it skipped through the wall on a free kick from just outside the penalty area in the 22nd minute.
Aaronson created another chance from a corner in the 44th minute, picking out Frederick at the back post. This time, however, Frederick’s header found the side netting.
Colorado’s Georgi Minoungou threatened in the 46th minute, sending a shot toward the far post from the left side of the box that was deflected Stuver.
Joseph Rosales’ cross in the 63rd minute was ticketed for Brandon Vazquez. The pass pulled Hansen off his line, but Vazquez whiffed on the header.
Colorado finished with 60.5% of the possession and an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Evander's goal, 3 assists spark Cincinnati over Quakes
Aug 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Evander (10) dribbles against San Jose Earthquakes defender Daniel Munie (5) in the first half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Evander scored his 11th goal on a sensational strike from 35 yards out in the 82nd minute and FC Cincinnati rallied from behind twice to earn a 4-2 victory over the visiting San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
Evander also assisted on the three other goals for Cincinnati (7-6-5, 26 points), which won its third out of four overall and its second out of three since returning from the World Cup break.
The creative Brazilian midfielder has scored 10 of his 11 goals and 10 of his 11 assists in his last eight league matches stretching back to May 2.
Substitute Tom Barlow leveled it at 2-2 in the 79th minute and Bryan Ramirez knotted it at 1-1 in the 33rd of a match that kicked off more than two hours late due to severe weather. Ayoub Jabbari added an insurance tally in second-half stoppage time.
Timo Werner scored his fifth goal and assisted another for San Jose (10-5-3, 33 points), which has won only once in its last nine across all competitions.
Daniel Munie scored an early goal for San Jose in just the Quakes’ second road loss of the season.
The visitors just had no answer for Evander late.
First, he played an incredible throughball across his body directly into the path of Barlow’s surging run.
Barlow had plenty left to do, and he finished emphatically with a low strike past Angus Gunn and inside the left post.
Three minutes later, Evander took the ball in a seemingly harmless location well beyond the penalty area, picked his head up, and unleashed a sensational bending strike that beat the sprawling Gunn to the top left corner.
After pulling level just after the half-hour mark, Cincinnati began the second half looking the more likely side to take the lead, only to be stung by a well-worked Quakes counter.
Ousenni Bouda collected a pass near the midfield line, turned and fed the ball forward for Preston Judd, apparently just in time to beat Cincinnati’s offside trap.
Judd immediately hit an early low cross into the path of Werner on the opposite flank, and Werner guided a first-time finish past the charging Roman Celentano and into the net for his first MLS tally since late April.
–Field Level Media
