2026 Kentucky Derby

152nd Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
Grade I stakes race
LocationChurchill Downs
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
DateMay 2, 2026 (2026-05-02)
Distance1+1⁄4 mi (10 furlongs; 2,012 m)
Winning horseGolden Tempo
Winning time2:02.27
Final odds23-1
JockeyJosé Ortiz
TrainerCherie DeVaux
OwnerPhipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito) & St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola)
ConditionsFast
SurfaceDirt
Attendance150,000

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 152nd Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] Golden Tempo won the race with time 2:02.27. As a result, Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman trainer to win the Derby.[2]

Qualification and entries

The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby was a series of races through which horses qualified for the Derby. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with up to four 'also eligibles' in case of a late withdrawal from the field. There were three separate paths for horses to take to qualify for the Derby: the main Road consisting of races in North America, the Japan Road consisting of four races in Japan, and the Euro/MidEast road consisting of ten races in England, Ireland, United Arab Emirates and France. The top five finishers in the specified races received points, with higher points awarded in the major prep races in March and April. Earnings in non-restricted stakes races acted as a tie breaker.[3]

The field was drawn on April 25. A full field of 20 horses was selected, in addition to four also-eligible (AE) entries, three of whom drew into the race after three horses in the main field scratched the week prior to the race.[4]

Results

At the initial load in, Great White, expected to start at the 21 post, became startled, reared, and fell backwards, throwing off his jockey Alex Achard and landing on his back. Neither Great White nor Achard appeared injured, but veterinarians scratched Great White from the race out of caution.[5]

All of the previously loaded horses were pulled back out of the starting gate to warm up and then reloaded after a pause to have Great White escorted off the track. At the start, Six Speed took the early lead, with So Happy and Danon Bourbon following. Four horses, including Golden Tempo and Albus, hung well behind the rest of the field entering the first turn. Renegade was also one of the last runners in the early stages, having been bumped several times at the start by horses on his outside. Six Speed continued to hold the lead through the far turn, when Danon Bourbon moved ahead to take the lead at the mile mark. As the field reached the stretch, the horses that had been held back began to charge forward. Ocelli briefly took the lead before Renegade and Golden Tempo moved ahead of him. Golden Tempo and Renegade then battled for the rest of the race, with Golden Tempo prevailing by a neck. His victory made his trainer Cherie DeVaux the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and only the second woman trainer to win any of the American Triple Crown races, after Jena Antonucci in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. It was also a first Kentucky Derby victory for jockey José Ortiz, barely beating his brother Irad who was riding Renegade.[6][7][8]

Finish Program
number		 Horse Qualifying
points		 Trainer Jockey Morning
line odds		 Final odds Margin
(lengths)		 Winnings
1 19 Golden Tempo 60 Cherie DeVaux José Ortiz 30–1 23.12 $3,100,000
2 1 Renegade 125 Todd Pletcher Irad Ortiz Jr. 4–1 5.65 Neck $1,000,000
3 22 Ocelli 25 Whit Beckman Tyler Gaffalione[a] 50–1 70.50 1 $500,000
4 12 Chief Wallabee 50 Bill Mott Junior Alvarado 8–1 7.31 3 $250,000
5 7 Danon Bourbon Japan Manabu Ikezoe Atsuya Nishimura 20–1 12.66 3 $150,000
6 11 Incredibolt 60 Riley Mott Jaime Torres 20–1 23.70 4
7 6 Commandment 150 Brad Cox Luis Saez 6–1 6.18 5+1⁄4
8 10 Wonder Dean E/ME Daisuke Takayanagi Ryusei Sakai 30–1 26.77 7+1⁄4
9 8 So Happy 115 Mark Glatt Mike Smith 15–1 5.90 7+1⁄2
10 15 Emerging Market 100 Chad Brown Flavien Prat 15–1 8.78 7+3⁄4
11 18 Further Ado 135 Brad Cox John Velazquez 6–1 5.05 7+3⁄4
12 14 Potente 100 Bob Baffert Juan Hernandez 20–1 17.89 8+1⁄4
13 17 Six Speed E/ME Bhupat Seemar Brian Hernandez Jr. 50–1 38.70 17+1⁄4
14 23 Robusta 25 Doug O'Neill Cristian Torres[b] 50–1 70.01 17+1⁄2
15 2 Albus 100 Riley Mott Manny Franco 30–1 48.67 20+1⁄4
16 3 Intrepido 38 Jeff Mullins Hector Berrios 50–1 52.85 33+1⁄2
17 4 Litmus Test 34 Bob Baffert Martin Garcia 30–1 27.75 37+1⁄2
18 16 Pavlovian 70 Doug O'Neill Edwin Maldonado 30–1 50.52 48+1⁄2
5 - Scr[c] Right to Party 65 Kenny McPeek Christopher Elliott 30–1
9 - Scr[d] The Puma 106 Gustavo Delgado Javier Castellano 10–1
13 - Scr[e] Silent Tactic 100 Mark Casse Cristian Torres 20–1
20 - Scr[f] Fulleffort 110 Brad Cox Tyler Gaffalione 20–1
21 - Scr[g] Great White 30 John Eniss Alex Achard 50–1
24 AE Corona de Oro 6 Dallas Stewart Brian Hernandez Jr. 50–1

Track condition: Fast

Times: 1⁄4 mile – 22.68; 1⁄2 mile – 46.44; 3⁄4 mile – 1:10.90; mile – 1:36.45; final – 2:02.27.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (23.76) (24.46) (25.55) (25.82) (25.82)

Note:

  1. ↑ On Thursday, April 30, trainer Whit Beckman announced that Tyler Gaffalione, who was originally named aboard Fulleffort, would replace Joe Ramos as jockey of Ocelli.[9]
  2. ↑ On Friday, May 1, trainer Doug O'Neill announced that Cristian Torres, who was originally named aboard Right to Party, would replace Emisael Jaramillo as jockey of Robusta.[10]
  3. ↑ Right to Party was scratched immediately before the deadline on Friday, May 1, after regulatory veterinarians concluded that there may have been clinical signs disposing him to injury should he have run in the Derby.[10]
  4. ↑ The Puma was scratched on the morning of the Derby because of swelling in his leg due to a skin infection.[11]
  5. ↑ Silent Tactic was scratched from the event on Wednesday, April 29, after developing a bruised foot.[12]
  6. ↑ Fulleffort was scratched on Thursday, April 30, two days before the event after returning from a workout and "off" in his left hind leg. X-rays revealed a small bone chip.[13]
  7. ↑ Scratched at the gate after falling over and throwing off his jockey.[14]


Source: Equibase chart[15]

Payouts

The table below provides the Kentucky Derby payout schedule for a $2 stake.[15]

Program number Horse name Win Place Show
19 Golden Tempo $48.24 $19.14 $11.90
1 Renegade $7.14 $5.46
22 Ocelli $36.34
  • $2 Exacta (19–1): $278.86
  • $0.50 Trifecta (19–1–22): $5,625.39
  • $1 Superfecta (19–1–22–12): $94,489.95
  • $1 Super High Five (19–1–22–12–7): $1,777,720[16]

References

  1. ↑ "2026 Kentucky Derby horses, odds, futures, preview, date: Expert who hit 12 Derby-Oaks Doubles reveals picks". CBSSports.com. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  2. ↑ Jordan, Bob (May 2, 2026). "Who is Cherie Devaux? Her horse Golden Tempo just won an historic Kentucky Derby". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Road to the Kentucky Derby 152" (PDF). www.kentuckyderby.com. April 23, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  4. ↑ Drummond, Cameron (May 2, 2026). "These are the post positions for the 2026 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ Ackert, Kristie (May 2, 2026). "Great White scratched from Kentucky Derby after bucking rider, flipping". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ King, Byron (May 2, 2026). "History in the Making: Golden Tempo Upsets Derby Field". Bloodhorse. Archived from the original on May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Churchill Downs Stakes Recap and Trainer Quotes: Kentucky Derby 152". Churchill Downs. May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kalland, Robby; Menez, Gene (May 2, 2026). "2026 Kentucky Derby results: Golden Tempo makes history under first female trainer to win Run for the Roses". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ Grening, David (April 30, 2026). "Gaffalione picks up Kentucky Derby, Oaks mounts". Daily Racing Form. Archived from the original on May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Nevills, Joe; Paulick, Ray (May 1, 2026). "'They Didn't Like The Way He Jogged': Right To Party Scratched From Kentucky Derby". paulickreport.com. Paulick Report. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ Schoenfield, Joy; Schoenfield, Joy (May 2, 2026). "The Puma scratched from 152nd Kentucky Derby due to swelling in his leg". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ Hall, Gregory A. (April 29, 2026). "Silent Tactic Scratched From KY Derby With Bruised Foot His defection allows Great White to draw into the field from the also-eligible list". BloodHorse.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2026. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ Holton, Brooks; Frakes, Jason (April 30, 2026). "Fulleffort scratches from 2026 Kentucky Derby field, Ocelli enters". courier-journal.com. The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ Maloney, Renee (May 3, 2026). "Great White, fifth horse scratched from the Kentucky Derby; cleared by veterinarians after fall". WLKY. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "2026 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Gr. 1)" (PDF). Equibase. May 2, 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Kentucky Derby 2026 complete order of finish and payouts at Churchill Downs". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
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