The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses Saturday in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown. The Run for the Roses in Louisville, Kentucky, is the opening race for the Triple Crown, the series for 3-year-olds that's traditionally followed by the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York. The last time a horse swept all three races was in 2018, when Justify galloped his way into the history books as the 13th Triple Crown winner .