By Ryan Anderson
Right to Party enters the 2026 Kentucky Derby as a developing but intriguing longshot, bringing consistency and late-running potential to a deep and competitive field. Trained by Kenny McPeek, who captured the Derby in 2024, and ridden by Christopher Elliott, Right to Party has steadily progressed through the prep season, hitting the board in all four of his career starts.
Racing Record and Notable Performances
His resume is highlighted by a runner-up finish (81 Beyer) in the G2 Wood Memorial and a prior third (77 Beyer) in the G3 Gotham Stakes. With 65 points, Right to Party currently sits 12th on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, placing him comfortably within the cutoff for a spot in the starting gate. While he may not boast the same headline-grabbing speed figures as some of the top-ranked contenders, his grinding late style and upward trajectory make him an interesting longshot for a trainer who knows what it takes to win the Derby.
Pedigree and Connections
- Sire: Constitution
- Dam & Damsire: Havin’ A Party (by Emcee)
- Owner: Chester Broman
- Trainer: Kenny McPeek
- Jockey: Christopher Elliott
While Constitution is a generational sire, he has not yet sired a Kentucky Derby winner. Distance shouldn’t be an issue as far as the sire line is concerned. However, with the Damsire being Emcee, multiple winner, primarily around one turn sprinting, there are distance concerns there.
This will be Christopher Elliott’s first mount in the Kentucky Derby, while Kenny McPeek has won this race once before, in 2024 with Mystic Dan, and looks to be back in the winner’s circle with Right to Party.
Final Prep Analysis
Final Prep Race: G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct (April 4th)
Finish Position: 2nd out of 12
Final Time: 1:51.6
Beyer Speed Figure: 81
Right to Party dropped out the back by about 13 lengths as the pace was very fast early on. It continued that way into the far turn, Right to Party, who was under a ride since before the ½ mile pole, saved a lot of ground turning for home and in the stretch veered out in order to find some space while still a little green. He finally switched leads, something he had not yet done while finishing a race. He was swerving in and out multiple times and when he finally straightened up, he finished well and galloped out strong.
Strengths and Concerns
Strengths: Has gotten better as the distances have gotten longer. Good stride length. Trainer knows how to have them peak
Concerns: Pace Scenario (Not much pace in the Derby), Green, hard to handle, lightly raced
Expert Opinions and Odds
Right to Party would need a MASSIVE improvement in order to win, but I think he has a logical chance to sneak into the superfecta. He is very grindy, and continues to run and I don’t think we have seen the bottom of him yet. He is going to be a longshot…probably in the range of 40-1 possibly up to the 80-1 range.
Conclusion
This is a wide open Kentucky Derby and while I do think the favorites are valid ones, behind the top 3, there are many questions of who truly wants this distance. I have no question that Right to Party wants every bit of the mile and a quarter, but I believe his absolute ceiling is a third place finish. I will be using him in superfectas, trying to get a big price underneath some of the other contenders.
