2026 Kentucky Derby

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

Source: Equibase chart

Payouts

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

• $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