The 152nd Kentucky Derby marked history as Golden Tempo became the first horse trained by a woman, Cherie DeVaux to win. Unfortunately, another history was matched at Churchill Downs as the 2026 race had five scratches, tying the known all-time record, which was set in 1936 and matched in 2023. The latest casualty was Great White, as the dramatic scene unfolded while horses were being loaded for the 6:57 p.m. post time.
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“He’s perfect,” trainer John Ennis told The Associated Press after the race. “Very fresh. (The incident) took nothing out of him.” The big gray gelding was scratched minutes before the Triple Crown race as he was suddenly spooked while everyone was waiting for the horses to get walked into the starting gate. He is roughly 1,370 pounds and threw off rider Alex Achard, who walked away under his own accord. The jockey was extremely lucky that the horse didn’t fall on him.
The pony handler in red was alert for the fast grab on the reins. A loose horse would’ve been even more of a disaster on this stage.
As per sources, Great White was able to walk away with the rest of the horses after the Kentucky Derby and “appeared to have no visible injuries.” In fact, Sean Collins reported that Great White was doing well this morning and is heading home.
However, scratching him after he fell backwards like that was absolutely the right decision, because these horses are still babies at 3 years old. After that flip, the veterinarians wouldn’t let him run. The field went from 19 to 18 at the very last moment. In fact, Great White only got into the field on Wednesday after Silent Tactic was ruled out because of a foot injury.
I love Great White Biggest horse in the race just said f**k I’m out #kentuckyderby
Trainer Mark Casse on Wednesday compared it to a fingernail separation, which is painful; that’s why he and owner John Oxley wanted no added risk. So Silent Tactic was scratched with more than 72 hours before the race. “It wasn’t a tough decision,” Casse said. “It’s not tough because we’re always going to try to do what we feel is best for the horse, Mr. Oxley and our entire group.” Apart from Silent Tactic, Fulleffort, and Right to Party were scratched and replaced before the Triple Crown Race.
A bone chip in Fulleffort’s left hind leg was discovered, so he was out on Thursday. And on Friday, just before the deadline for a horse to be replaced upon withdrawal, Right to Party’s right front leg made him the third scratch. These three horses were replaced, but the race was still down to 19 as The Puma became the fourth scratch early Saturday morning due to leg swelling about 12 hours before the start time. And then the incident of the Great White followed.
Not a great week for Great White
It had the longest shot among all the scratched horses. But we saw how the Golden Tempo had 30-1 odds and yet Jose Ortiz scripted the win in the final leg. Great White might not have replicated the victory because he was a distant fifth behind Further Ado in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 4. “He didn’t need to be on the lead,” Ennis said. “We kind of thought he’d run big in the Blue Grass, and he kind of disappointed. He was flat the week prior to the Blue Grass. He was kind of quiet himself and lacking in energy.”
Yet, the preparation for the Kentucky Derby was not straightforward. This had been an uncertain week for Ennis and his stable, not knowing if Great White would get to the starting gate on Saturday. “It can be tough mentally in your mind to straighten things out and get things squared away,” Ennis said. “It’s not easy when you’re kind of sitting on the fence like that.”
The week went from bad to worse. From being uncertain to getting that place to not starting with just minutes left was heartbreaking. But the positive news is that both the jockey and the Great White did not suffer any long-term injuries.
