Watch the Race: Official 2026 Kentucky Derby Replay
The full race replay below shows Golden Tempo’s remarkable rally from near the back of the field — the kind of finish that defines the Kentucky Derby’s reputation as the most exciting two minutes in sports.
Video courtesy of YouTube. The official Kentucky Derby replay is also available on NBC Sports, Peacock, and TwinSpires.
Race Recap: A Sweeping Rally Under the Twin Spires
For the better part of a mile and a quarter, the 2026 Kentucky Derby looked like a different story. The pace was honest, a tightly packed mid-pack jockeyed for position into the far turn, and Golden Tempo — hung wide and far back through the early fractions — appeared hopelessly out of the hunt.
Then came the move. As the field straightened for home, jockey Jose L. Ortiz angled Golden Tempo to the outside and asked him to run. What followed was the kind of acceleration that brings a grandstand to its feet: Golden Tempo swept past tiring rivals through the upper stretch, drew alongside the leaders inside the sixteenth pole, and powered clear in the final strides to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby.
Renegade, the Todd Pletcher trainee with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, ran a game second after breaking sharply from the rail. Ocelli, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer D. Whitworth Beckman, closed from off the pace to round out the trifecta from post 22. The announcer’s call rang through Churchill Downs as Golden Tempo crossed under the wire — and a roughly $2 wager paid back $48.24.
2026 Kentucky Derby Payouts
Win, Place, and Show payouts for the 152nd Kentucky Derby (based on a $2 wager). All payouts are official, posted by Churchill Downs after the race was declared official.
| Post | Horse | Win | Place | Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Golden Tempo | $48.24 | $19.14 | $11.90 |
| 1 | Renegade | — | $7.14 | $5.46 |
| 22 | Ocelli | — | — | $36.34 |
$2 Win Bet
$48.24
Roughly 23-1 final odds
$2 Place Bet
$19.14
Golden Tempo to place
$2 Show Bet
$11.90
Golden Tempo to show
Winning Time & Fractional Splits
Golden Tempo stopped the clock at 2:02.27for the mile and a quarter — a solid clocking on the Churchill Downs dirt, well off Secretariat’s all-time record of 1:59.4 but comfortably in the modern Derby range. The fractional splits below show how the pace developed and why a late-closing style paid off.
| Stage | Split |
|---|---|
| Quarter mile | 22.68 |
| Half mile | 46.44 |
| Three-quarters | 1:10.90 |
| Mile | 1:36.45 |
| Final time (1¼ miles) | 2:02.27 |
Complete Order of Finish
Eighteen horses started the 2026 Kentucky Derby after five scratches earlier in the day. Below is the official order of finish and purse distribution. The top five finishers split the multi-million-dollar guaranteed purse.
| Pos | Horse |
|---|---|
| 1 | Golden TempoWINNER |
| 2 | Renegade |
| 3 | Ocelli |
| 4 | Chief Wallabee |
| 5 | Danon Bourbon |
| 6 | Incredibolt |
| 7 | Commandment |
| 8 | Wonder Dean (JPN) |
| 9 | So Happy |
| 10 | Emerging Market |
| 11 | Further Ado |
| 12 | Potente |
| 13 | Six Speed |
| 14 | Robusta |
| 15 | Albus |
| 16 | Intrepido |
| 17 | Litmus Test |
| 18 | Pavlovian |
Scratched (5)
The following horses were scratched before the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby:
- 5Right to Party
- 9The Puma
- 13Silent Tactic
- 20Fulleffort
- 21Great White
How Golden Tempo Won: From the Back of the Pack
A simple visualization of where Golden Tempo sat at each stage of the race — near the back of the field for most of the trip before his sweeping late move.
Approximate field position by stage. Bar position = where Golden Tempo sat in the field (further right = farther back).
About the Winning Connections
Winning Trainer · History-Maker
Cherie DeVaux
With Golden Tempo’s win, Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby in the race’s 152 runnings. She is only the second woman to train the winner of any U.S. Triple Crown race, following Jena Antonucci (2023 Belmont Stakes with Arcangelo). She would add a second Triple Crown trophy at the Belmont a month later — making her the first woman to train winners of two Triple Crown races.
Winning Jockey
Jose L. Ortiz
Jose L. Ortiz delivered a perfectly timed ride aboard Golden Tempo, sitting patiently as the early pace developed and unleashing his mount’s closing kick at exactly the right moment to surge past the leaders in the stretch. Ortiz would partner with Golden Tempo again a month later to win the Belmont Stakes.
The 2026 Triple Crown: How It Played Out
Golden Tempo’s connections skipped the two-week turnaround to the Preakness Stakes and pointed instead toward a fresher Belmont run. That decision defined the shape of the 2026 Triple Crown season: no sweep was possible, but one horse still captured two of the three jewels.
Kentucky Derby · May 2
Golden Tempo
Churchill Downs. Jose L. Ortiz / Cherie DeVaux. $48.24 to win in 2:02.27 after a sweeping late rally.
Preakness Stakes · May 16
Napoleon Solo
Run at Laurel Park with Pimlico under construction. Paco Lopez / Chad Summers. Beat Iron Honor by 1¼ lengths. Golden Tempo did not run.
Belmont Stakes · June 6
Golden Tempo
Run at Saratoga Race Course in the rain. Jose L. Ortiz / Cherie DeVaux again. Beat Commandment by 1¼ lengths; Renegade third.
With Golden Tempo taking two legs and Napoleon Solo taking the third, there was no 2026 Triple Crown winner — the sport’s sweep remains the exclusive property of 13 horses, most recently Justify in 2018. But Cherie DeVaux’s double at the Derby and Belmont, with the same horse and jockey, carved out its own place in Triple Crown history as the first time a woman has trained winners of two Triple Crown races.
Recent Kentucky Derby Winners
Golden Tempo’s 2026 victory joins a Derby roll call that stretches back to 1875. Here are the most recent champions.
| Year | Winner | Jockey |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Golden Tempo | Jose L. Ortiz |
| 2025 | Sovereignty | Flavien Prat |
| 2024 | Mystik Dan | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| 2023 | Mage | Javier Castellano |
| 2022 | Rich Strike | Sonny Leon |
| 2021 | Medina Spirit* | John Velazquez |
| 2020 | Authentic | John Velazquez |
| 2019 | Country House | Flavien Prat |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike Smith |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza |
* Medina Spirit was disqualified after a post-race drug test. Mandaloun was elevated to first place as the official winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Derby Day Timeline
How the 152nd Kentucky Derby Day unfolded at Churchill Downs.
8:00 AM
Gates Open
10:30 AM
First Race
12-3 PM
Undercard Races
3-5 PM
Stakes Races
5:00 PM
Pre-Derby Pageantry
~6:57 PM
THE DERBY
7-9 PM
Final Races & Exit
Approximate times for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Day program.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 Kentucky Derby Results
Who won the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2, 2026, ridden by jockey Jose L. Ortiz and trained by Cherie DeVaux. Program number 19 (breaking from stall 16 after scratches), Golden Tempo sat near the back of the field for most of the race before launching a sweeping rally in the stretch to win in 2:02.27, paying $48.24 to win on a $2 wager. The victory made DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.
How much did Golden Tempo pay to win?
Golden Tempo paid $48.24 to win, $19.14 to place, and $11.90 to show on a $2 ticket. Renegade (post 1) paid $7.14 to place and $5.46 to show. Ocelli (post 22) paid $36.34 to show. The win price reflected starting odds of roughly 23-1, making Golden Tempo one of the larger longshot winners in recent Derby history.
What was the order of finish for the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
The top five finishers were: 1) Golden Tempo, 2) Renegade, 3) Ocelli, 4) Chief Wallabee, 5) Danon Bourbon. The full 18-horse order of finish is published on this page. Five horses scratched before the race: Right to Party, The Puma, Silent Tactic, Fulleffort, and Great White.
How can I watch a replay of the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
The official 2026 Kentucky Derby race replay is available on YouTube and through NBC Sports, Peacock, Churchill Downs, and TwinSpires. The full race replay showing Golden Tempo's rally from the back of the pack is embedded above on this page.
Who trained and rode Golden Tempo?
Golden Tempo was trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by jockey Jose L. Ortiz. The victory made DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby in its 152 runnings, and only the second woman to train the winner of any U.S. Triple Crown race (after Jena Antonucci's 2023 Belmont with Arcangelo). DeVaux and Ortiz reunited with Golden Tempo a month later to win the 2026 Belmont Stakes.
Did Golden Tempo win the Triple Crown in 2026?
No. Golden Tempo's connections skipped the Preakness Stakes and pointed instead to a fresher Belmont run, which meant a Triple Crown sweep was not possible. He did, however, win the 2026 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 6. The 2026 Preakness was won by Napoleon Solo (jockey Paco Lopez, trainer Chad Summers) at Laurel Park on May 16, so the three Triple Crown races went to two different horses — no 2026 Triple Crown winner.
More Derby Coverage
Past Derby Winners
Complete list of Kentucky Derby winners throughout history.
Famous Derby Moments
The most legendary races and finishes in Derby history.
2026 Derby Contenders
The full pre-race field analysis for the 152nd Run for the Roses.
Derby Betting Strategy
How handicappers approach value betting and longshots like Golden Tempo.