Kentucky Derby 2026 Results
🌹 Kentucky Derby 2026: Golden Tempo Stuns the Field in Historic Run for the Roses
Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky — May 2, 2026
The Winner: Golden Tempo 🏆
Golden Tempo became the latest longshot to stun the Kentucky Derby field, winning the 152nd Run for the Roses at odds of 23-1. In the process, trainer Cherie Devaux became the first female trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby.
The winning time was 2:02.27.
The Race Story Of Kentucky Derby 2026
Golden Tempo was near the back of the pack until the final turn, when a powerful surge put the horse just across the finish line ahead of the second-place finisher by a nose.
The stretch run from Golden Tempo was, in a few words, impossible to believe. As the pack entered the stretch, Golden Tempo was in 13th place and seemingly not in contention. But jockey Jose Ortiz drove through traffic deftly, then found a lane on the outside straight to victory, edging out Renegade at the wire.
In a Derby without a strong favorite, most of the public’s attention was on Arkansas Derby winner Renegade, Florida Derby winner Commandment, Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy, and Bill Mott trainee Chief Wallabee.
Official Finishing Order of Kentucky Derby 2026
| Place | Horse | Odds | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Golden Tempo | 23-1 | Jose Ortiz |
| 🥈 2nd | Renegade | 6-1 | Irad Ortiz Jr. |
| 🥉 3rd | Ocelli | 70-1 | Joseph Ramos |
| 4th | Chief Wallabee | 7-1 | Junior Alvarado |
| 5th | Danon Bourbon | — | — |
| 6th | Incredibolt | — | — |
| 7th | Commandment | 6-1 | — |
| 8th | Wonder Dean | — | — |
The third-place finisher Ocelli was an even more unlikely top-three placer, having entered at 70-1 odds. He was one of a few horses that entered the field because of scratches by other horses.
Payouts (per $2 bet) of Kentucky Derby 2026
Golden Tempo (1st): Win $48.24 | Place $19.14 | Show $11.90
Renegade (2nd): Place $7.14 | Show $5.45
Ocelli (3rd): Show $36.34
Purse Breakdown
The Kentucky Derby purse remains at $5 million for the third consecutive year, reinforcing its place as the richest race in the Triple Crown series. The team behind Golden Tempo took home a $3.1 million winner’s purse.
Historic Milestones
🚺 First Female Trainer to Win the Kentucky Derby
Prior to Saturday’s running, only 17 female trainers had ever had a horse reach the Derby, and until Saturday, none had ever won. Devaux, 44, became the first, bettering Shelley Riley’s runner-up finish with Casual Lies in 1992.
👨👨👦 The Ortiz Brothers Go 1-2
Jockey Jose Ortiz (Golden Tempo, 1st) and his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. (Renegade, 2nd) finished first and second in the race — a remarkable brotherly duel at the wire.
Jose Ortiz also became the ninth jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby in the same year.
📉 Eighth Straight Year the Favorite Didn’t Win
With Golden Tempo winning at 23-1, it marks the eighth straight year that the favorite hasn’t won the race. The last time the favorite won was Justify (5-2) back in 2018.
After six straight favorites won the Kentucky Derby between 2013–2018, longshots have been more successful lately, including 2019 winner Country House (65-1), 2022 winner Rich Strike (80-1), 2023 winner Mage (15-1) and 2024 winner Mystik Dan (18-1).
Pre-Race Drama & Scratches
The race had a shifting field, with a total of five horses scratched leading up to the race. On Saturday morning, The Puma — one of the trendy picks to win this year’s Grade 1, $5 million Derby — scratched due to a swollen pastern left front and a skin infection.
As the horses began to load, Great White — an unusually large horse standing at nearly six feet tall — began to buck and threw off jockey Alex Achard. Great White was scratched as a late entry, and the horses were made to re-load.
The Kentucky Derby took place under dry but cool conditions, with temperatures near 56°F — one of the coldest years in recent memory for Derby day.
The 2026 Kentucky Derby delivered everything that makes this race one of sport’s greatest spectacles — an improbable longshot, a historic barrier broken, a brotherly showdown at the wire, and a finish decided by a nose. Golden Tempo and Cherie Devaux have etched their names permanently into Churchill Downs lore. 🌹