Kentucky Derby Winners: Full List, Results and History (1875–2026)

The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in America. Every year on the first Saturday of May the best three-year-old Thoroughbreds in the world line up at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race has run every single year since 1875 without a break.

People call it the Run for the Roses. The winning horse gets covered in a garland of over 400 red roses. The Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown. A horse must win the Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in the same year to earn that title.

The race is one and a quarter miles on dirt. It lasts about two minutes. Millions of fans watch from home every May while hundreds of thousands fill the seats at Churchill Downs.

Quick Facts: 2026 Kentucky Derby

• Winner: Golden Tempo (23-1)
• Date: Saturday May 2 2026
• Venue: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
• Winning Time: 2:02.27
• Margin: Won by a nose
• Trainer: Cherie DeVaux (first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby)
• Jockey: Jose Ortiz (first Derby win, 11th attempt)
• Owner: Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable
• Winner’s Prize: $3,100,000
• Total Purse: $5 million
• All-Time Record: 13 Triple Crown winners since 1875

2026 Kentucky Derby Results and Payouts

Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2 2026, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He came from the back of the pack to win by a nose in a time of 2:02.27. The track was fast. The weather was dry but cold, with temperatures near 54 degrees, one of the coldest Derby Days in recent memory.

Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to the wire in one of the great stretch runs in Derby history. Trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby in 152 years of the race. She was making her first ever Derby start. DeVaux is also the second woman ever to win a Triple Crown race, after Jena Antonucci who saddled Arcangelo to win the 2023 Belmont Stakes. DeVaux started her own stable in 2018 after working as an assistant under trainers Chuck Simon and Chad Brown, and has recorded over 1,800 career starts.

Golden Tempo is a bay colt sired by Hall of Famer Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year. His dam is Carrumba, a mare by Bernardini. He is owned by Phipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito) and St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola). Golden Tempo is the first Kentucky Derby winner sired by Curlin, who had produced three Derby runners-up before this win.

Jose Ortiz earned his first Kentucky Derby win after 11 attempts. It was his third Triple Crown race victory overall, adding to wins in the 2017 Belmont Stakes and 2022 Preakness Stakes. In a remarkable moment, Ortiz beat his own brother Irad Ortiz Jr. to the wire. Irad rode Renegade, who finished second. It marked the first time brothers finished 1-2 in the Kentucky Derby.

Ortiz also won the 2026 Kentucky Oaks the day before aboard Always a Runner, making him the ninth jockey in history to win both the Oaks and the Derby in the same week.

Race Facts

• Post position: 19
• Closing odds: 23-1
• Winning time: 2:02.27
• Margin: Won by a nose
• Track: Fast
• Weather: 54 degrees, dry
• Final field size: 18 horses (after multiple scratches)
• Winner’s prize: $3,100,000

How the Race Unfolded

Renegade went off the favorite at 5-1 with brother Irad Ortiz Jr. up, breaking from the No. 1 post position. Brad Cox sent out Commandment and Further Ado as live runners. So Happy carried strong late support in the final betting. Bob Baffert tried for a record seventh Derby with Potente. None of them won.

The field had been thinning for days. The Puma, the Gustavo Delgado-trained co-favorite, scratched Saturday morning with a swollen left front pastern. Right to Party, Silent Tactic, Fulleffort and Corona de Oro had already been scratched in the days before. Great White, Ocelli and Robusta drew in from the also-eligible list.

Then more drama. Just before post time Great White reared at the gate and threw jockey Alex Achard. Course veterinarians scratched the gray gelding on the spot. The final field dropped to 18 horses.

Six Speed, a Dubai shipper, set a fast early pace. Danon Bourbon, the Japanese invitee, stalked the pace and seized the lead at the top of the stretch. The favorites Renegade, Commandment, So Happy and Chief Wallabee were all in contention heading into the final turn.

Golden Tempo was last for most of the way. Ortiz had seen enough. He swung the colt to the outside and the Curlin son found another gear, sweeping past horse after horse in the final furlong. He got up to win by a nose over Renegade in a photo finish. Ocelli, the 70-1 alternate entry, closed from far back to grab third. Chief Wallabee finished fourth under Junior Alvarado, who won the Derby last year aboard Sovereignty.

It marks the eighth straight year the morning line favorite has not won the Kentucky Derby. The last favorite to win was Justify in 2018.

2026 Full Order of Finish

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1st	Golden Tempo	Jose Ortiz	Cherie DeVaux	23-1
2nd	Renegade	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Todd Pletcher	5-1
3rd	Ocelli	Joseph Ramos	D. Whitworth Beckman	70-1
4th	Chief Wallabee	Junior Alvarado	Bill Mott	7-1

Full order of finish to be updated once official charts are published by Churchill Downs.

2026 Kentucky Derby Payouts

Place	Horse	Prize
1st	Golden Tempo	$3,100,000
2nd	Renegade	$1,000,000
3rd	Ocelli	$500,000
4th	Chief Wallabee	$250,000
5th	To be confirmed	$150,000

Trainer Cherie DeVaux earned approximately $310,000, the standard 10 percent trainer cut. Jockey Jose Ortiz earned $310,000 gross before sharing with his agent and valet, leaving him approximately $217,000 before taxes. The winning owners Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable split 80 percent of first place, which is $2.48 million.

A $2 win bet on Golden Tempo paid $48.24. The $2 exacta paid $278.86. The $1 trifecta paid $11,250.78.

2025 Kentucky Derby Recap: Sovereignty

The 151st Kentucky Derby ran on Saturday May 3 2025 at Churchill Downs on a sloppy track. Sovereignty, a bay colt owned and bred by Godolphin LLC, won by one and a half lengths over Journalism. Bill Mott trained him and Junior Alvarado rode him. The winning time was 2:02.31.

Godolphin had tried 12 times to win the Kentucky Derby before. Sovereignty finally delivered that first Derby win for the racing stable of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.

Sovereignty skipped the Preakness Stakes and went straight to the Belmont. On June 7 2025 he won the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga by three lengths over Journalism. He became the first Derby winner ever to skip the Preakness and still win the Belmont Stakes. He then won the Travers Stakes by 10 lengths on August 23, becoming the fifth horse in history to win the Derby, Belmont and Travers, the last being Thunder Gulch in 1995.

At the Eclipse Awards on January 22 2026 Sovereignty won Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Male. He returned to racing as a 4-year-old in 2026 with the Breeders’ Cup Classic as the primary target.

Kentucky Derby Winners List (1875–2026)

Every Kentucky Derby winner becomes part of American sports history. The list below covers all 152 runnings from the very first race in 1875 through today’s race in 2026.

** = Triple Crown Winner | + = Winner elevated via disqualification

Five notes before the table:

• 2026: Golden Tempo at 23-1 made Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Jose Ortiz beat his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. who rode runner-up Renegade.
• 2025: Sovereignty gave Godolphin their first Derby win after 12 failed attempts. He won the Belmont Stakes and was named 2025 Horse of the Year.
• 2021: Medina Spirit crossed the line first but lost the title after a positive drug test. Mandaloun moved up to first. Bob Baffert’s official Derby win total stays at six.
• 2019: Maximum Security crossed first but lost the title for interference. Country House trained by Bill Mott moved to first.
• Pre-1896: The Derby ran at one and a half miles before 1896. The current distance of one and a quarter miles has been standard ever since.

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2026	Golden Tempo	Jose Ortiz	Cherie DeVaux	Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable	2:02.27
2025	Sovereignty	Junior Alvarado	Bill Mott	Godolphin	2:02.31
2024	Mystik Dan	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Kenny McPeek	Lance Gasaway et al.	2:03.34
2023	Mage	Javier Castellano	Gustavo Delgado	OGMA Investments et al.	2:01.57
2022	Rich Strike	Sonny Leon	Eric R. Reed	RED TR-Racing LLC	2:02.61
2021	Mandaloun+	Florent Geroux	Brad H. Cox	Juddmonte Farms	2:01.02
2020	Authentic	John Velazquez	Bob Baffert	Spendthrift Farm et al.	2:00.61
2019	Country House+	Flavien Prat	William I. Mott	Mrs. J.V. Shields et al.	2:03.98
2018	Justify**	Mike E. Smith	Bob Baffert	China Horse Club et al.	2:04.20
2017	Always Dreaming	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	Brooklyn Boyz Stables et al.	2:03.59
2016	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	Doug F. O’Neill	Reddam Racing LLC	2:01.31
2015	American Pharoah**	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	Ahmed Zayat	2:03.02
2014	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	Art Sherman	Steve & Carolyn Coburn et al.	2:03.66
2013	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude McGaughey III	Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable	2:02.89
2012	I’ll Have Another	Mario Gutierrez	Doug O’Neill	J. Paul Reddam	2:01.83
2011	Animal Kingdom	John Velazquez	H. Graham Motion	Team Valor International	2:02.04
2010	Super Saver	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	WinStar Farm LLC	2:04.45
2009	Mine That Bird	Calvin Borel	Bennie Woolley Jr.	Double Eagle Ranch et al.	2:02.66
2008	Big Brown	Kent Desormeaux	Richard Dutrow Jr.	IEAH Stable & P. Pompa Jr.	2:01.82
2007	Street Sense	Calvin Borel	Carl Nafzger	James B. Tafel	2:02.17
2006	Barbaro	Edgar Prado	Michael Matz	Lael Stables	2:01.36
2005	Giacomo	Mike Smith	John Shirreffs	Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss	2:02.75
2004	Smarty Jones	Stewart Elliott	John Servis	Someday Farm	2:04.06
2003	Funny Cide	Jose Santos	Barclay Tagg	Sackatoga Stable	2:01.19
2002	War Emblem	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	The Thoroughbred Corp.	2:01.13
2001	Monarchos	Jorge Chavez	John T. Ward Jr.	John C. Oxley	1:59.97
2000	Fusaichi Pegasus	Kent Desormeaux	Neil D. Drysdale	Fusao Sekiguchi	2:01.00
1999	Charismatic	Chris Antley	D. Wayne Lukas	Robert & Beverly Lewis	2:03.29
1998	Real Quiet	Kent Desormeaux	Bob Baffert	Mike Pegram	2:02.20
1997	Silver Charm	Gary Stevens	Bob Baffert	Robert & Beverly Lewis	2:02.40
1996	Grindstone	Jerry Bailey	D. Wayne Lukas	Overbrook Farm	2:01.00
1995	Thunder Gulch	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	Michael Tabor	2:01.20
1994	Go for Gin	Chris McCarron	Nick Zito	Condren & Cornacchia	2:03.60
1993	Sea Hero	Jerry Bailey	MacKenzie Miller	Rokeby Stable	2:02.00
1992	Lil E. Tee	Pat Day	Lynn Whiting	W. Cal Partee	2:03.00
1991	Strike the Gold	Chris Antley	Nick Zito	BCC Stable	2:03.00
1990	Unbridled	Craig Perret	Carl Nafzger	Frances A. Genter	2:02.00
1989	Sunday Silence	Patrick Valenzuela	Charles Whittingham	H-G-W Partners	2:05.00
1988	Winning Colors	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	Eugene V. Klein	2:02.20
1987	Alysheba	Chris McCarron	Jack Van Berg	D. & P. Scharbauer	2:03.40
1986	Ferdinand	William Shoemaker	Charles Whittingham	Elizabeth A. Keck	2:02.80
1985	Spend a Buck	Angel Cordero Jr.	Cam Gambolati	Dennis Diaz	2:00.20
1984	Swale	Laffit Pincay Jr.	Woodford Stephens	Claiborne Farm	2:02.40
1983	Sunny’s Halo	Eddie Delahoussaye	David C. Cross Jr.	D.J. Foster Stable	2:02.20
1982	Gato Del Sol	Eddie Delahoussaye	Edwin J. Gregson	Hancock & Peters	2:02.40
1981	Pleasant Colony	Jorge Velasquez	John P. Campo	Buckland Farm	2:02.00
1980	Genuine Risk	Jacinto Vasquez	LeRoy Jolley	Diana M. Firestone	2:02.00
1979	Spectacular Bid	Ronnie Franklin	Grover Delp	Hawksworth Farm	2:02.40
1978	Affirmed**	Steve Cauthen	Lazaro Barrera	Harbor View Farm	2:01.20
1977	Seattle Slew**	Jean Cruguet	Wm. H. Turner Jr.	Karen L. Taylor	2:02.20
1976	Bold Forbes	Angel Cordero Jr.	Lazaro Barrera	E. Rodriguez Tizol	2:01.60
1975	Foolish Pleasure	Jacinto Vasquez	LeRoy Jolley	John L. Greer	2:02.00
1974	Cannonade	Angel Cordero Jr.	Woodford Stephens	John M. Olin	2:04.00
1973	Secretariat**	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable	1:59.40
1972	Riva Ridge	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stud	2:01.80
1971	Canonero II	Gustavo Avila	Juan Arias	Edgar Caibett	2:03.20
1970	Dust Commander	Mike Manganello	Don Combs	Robert E. Lehmann	2:03.40
1969	Majestic Prince	William Hartack	John Longden	Frank M. McMahon	2:01.80
1968	Forward Pass	Ismael Valenzuela	Henry Forrest	Calumet Farm	2:02.20
1967	Proud Clarion	Robert Ussery	Loyd Gentry Jr.	Darby Dan Farm	2:00.60
1966	Kauai King	Don Brumfield	Henry Forrest	Ford Stable	2:02.00
1965	Lucky Debonair	William Shoemaker	Frank Catrone	Ada L. Rice	2:01.20
1964	Northern Dancer	William Hartack	Horatio Luro	Windfields Farm	2:00.00
1963	Chateaugay	Braulio Baeza	James P. Conway	Darby Dan Farm	2:01.80
1962	Decidedly	William Hartack	Horatio Luro	El Peco Ranch	2:00.40
1961	Carry Back	John Sellers	Jack Price	Katherine Price	2:04.00
1960	Venetian Way	William Hartack	Victor Sovinski	Sunny Blue Farm	2:02.40
1959	Tomy Lee	William Shoemaker	Frank E. Childs	Fred & Juliette Turner	2:02.20
1958	Tim Tam	Ismael Valenzuela	H.A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:05.00
1957	Iron Liege	William Hartack	H.A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:01.20
1956	Needles	David Erb	Hugh Fontaine	D&H Stable	2:03.40
1955	Swaps	William Shoemaker	M.A. Tenney	Rex C. Ellsworth	2:01.80
1954	Determine	Raymond York	William Molter	Andrew J. Crevolin	2:03.00
1953	Dark Star	Henry Moreno	Eddie Hayward	Cain Hoy Stable	2:02.00
1952	Hill Gail	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:01.60
1951	Count Turf	Conn McCreary	Sol Rutchick	Jack J. Amiel	2:02.60
1950	Middleground	William Boland	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	2:01.60
1949	Ponder	Steve Brooks	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:04.20
1948	Citation**	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:05.40
1947	Jet Pilot	Eric Guerin	Tom Smith	Maine Chance Farm	2:06.80
1946	Assault**	Warren Mehrtens	Max Hirsch	King Ranch	2:06.60
1945	Hoop Jr.	Eddie Arcaro	Ivan H. Parke	Fred W. Hooper	2:07.00
1944	Pensive	Conn McCreary	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:04.20
1943	Count Fleet**	John Longden	G.D. Cameron	Fannie Hertz	2:04.00
1942	Shut Out	Wayne D. Wright	John M. Gaver Sr.	Greentree Stable	2:04.40
1941	Whirlaway**	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm	2:01.40
1940	Gallahadion	Carroll Bierman	Roy Waldron	Milky Way Farm	2:05.00
1939	Johnstown	James Stout	James Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	2:03.40
1938	Lawrin	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Herbert M. Woolf	2:04.80
1937	War Admiral**	Charles Kurtsinger	George Conway	Glen Riddle Farm	2:03.20
1936	Bold Venture	Ira Hanford	Max Hirsch	Morton L. Schwartz	2:03.60
1935	Omaha**	William Saunders	James Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	2:05.00
1934	Cavalcade	Mack Garner	Robert A. Smith	Brookmeade Stable	2:04.00
1933	Brokers Tip	Don Meade	H.J. Thompson	Edward R. Bradley	2:06.80
1932	Burgoo King	Basil James	H.J. Thompson	Edward R. Bradley	2:05.20
1931	Twenty Grand	Charles Kurtsinger	James Rowe Jr.	Greentree Stable	2:01.80
1930	Gallant Fox**	Earl Sande	James Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud	2:07.60
1929	Clyde Van Dusen	Linus McAtee	Clyde Van Dusen	Herbert P. Gardner	2:10.80
1928	Reigh Count	Charles Lang	Bert Michell	Fannie Hertz	2:10.40
1927	Whiskery	Linus McAtee	Fred Hopkins	Harry P. Whitney	2:06.00
1926	Bubbling Over	Albert Johnson	H.J. Thompson	Edward R. Bradley	2:03.80
1925	Flying Ebony	Earl Sande	William Duke	Gifford A. Cochran	2:07.60
1924	Black Gold	John D. Mooney	Hanly Webb	Rosa M. Hoots	2:05.20
1923	Zev	Earl Sande	D.J. Leary	Rancocas Stable	2:05.40
1922	Morvich	Albert Johnson	Fred Burlew	Benjamin Block	2:04.60
1921	Behave Yourself	Charles Thompson	H.J. Thompson	Edward R. Bradley	2:04.20
1920	Paul Jones	Ted Rice	William Garth	Ral Parr	2:09.00
1919	Sir Barton**	John Loftus	H. Guy Bedwell	J.K.L. Ross	2:09.80
1918	Exterminator	William Knapp	Henry McDaniel	Willis Sharpe Kilmer	2:10.80
1917	Omar Khayyam	Charles Borel	C.T. Patterson	Billings & Johnson	2:04.60
1916	George Smith	John Loftus	Hollie Hughes	John Sanford	2:04.00
1915	Regret	Joe Notter	James Rowe Sr.	Harry P. Whitney	2:05.40
1914	Old Rosebud	John McCabe	Frank D. Weir	H.C. Applegate	2:03.40
1913	Donerail	Roscoe Goose	Thomas P. Hayes	Thomas P. Hayes	2:04.80
1912	Worth	Carroll H. Shilling	Frank M. Taylor	Henry C. Hallenbeck	2:09.40
1911	Meridian	George Archibald	Albert Ewing	Richard F. Carman	2:05.00
1910	Donau	Robert Herbert	George Ham	William Gerst	2:06.40
1909	Wintergreen	Vincent Powers	Charles Mack	Jerome B. Respess	2:08.20
1908	Stone Street	Arthur Pickens	J.W. Hall	C.E. & J.W. Hamilton	2:15.20
1907	Pink Star	Andy Minder	W.H. Fizer	J. Hal Woodford	2:12.60
1906	Sir Huon	Roscoe Troxler	Pete Coyne	Bashford Manor Stable	2:08.80
1905	Agile	Jack Martin	Robert Tucker	Samuel S. Brown	2:10.75
1904	Elwood	Frank Prior	C.E. Durnell	Mrs. C.E. Durnell	2:08.50
1903	Judge Himes	Harold Booker	John P. Mayberry	Charles R. Ellison	2:09.00
1902	Alan-a-Dale	Jimmy Winkfield	T.C. McDowell	Thomas C. McDowell	2:08.75
1901	His Eminence	Jimmy Winkfield	Frank B. Van Meter	Frank B. Van Meter	2:07.75
1900	Lieut. Gibson	Jimmy Boland	Charles Hughes	Charles H. Smith	2:06.50
1899	Manuel	Fred Taral	Robert Walden	A.H. & D.H. Morris	2:12.00
1898	Plaudit	Willie Simms	John E. Madden	John E. Madden	2:09.00
1897	Typhoon II	Buttons Garner	J.C. Cahn	J.C. Cahn	2:12.50
1896	Ben Brush	Willie Simms	Hardy Campbell Jr.	Mike F. Dwyer	2:07.75
1895	Halma	James “Soup” Perkins	Byron McClelland	Byron McClelland	2:37.50
1894	Chant	Frank Goodale	H. Eugene Leigh	Leigh & Rose	2:41.00
1893	Lookout	Eddie Kunze	William McDaniel	Cushing & Orth	2:39.25
1892	Azra	Alonzo Clayton	John H. Morris	Bashford Manor Stable	2:41.50
1891	Kingman	Isaac Murphy	Dud Allen	Jacobin Stable	2:52.25
1890	Riley	Isaac Murphy	Edward Corrigan	Edward Corrigan	2:45.00
1889	Spokane	Thomas Kiley	John Rodegap	Noah Armstrong	2:34.50
1888	Macbeth II	George Covington	John Campbell	Chicago Stable	2:38.25
1887	Montrose	Isaac Lewis	John McGinty	Labold Brothers	2:39.25
1886	Ben Ali	Paul Duffy	Jim Murphy	J.B.A. Haggin	2:36.50
1885	Joe Cotton	Erkine Henderson	Abe Perry	James T. Williams	2:37.25
1884	Buchanan	Isaac Murphy	William Bird	William Cottrill	2:40.25
1883	Leonatus	William Donohue	Raleigh Colston	Chinn & Morgan	2:43.00
1882	Apollo	Babe Hurd	Green B. Morris	Morris & Patton	2:40.25
1881	Hindoo	James McLaughlin	James G. Rowe Sr.	Dwyer Bros. Stable	2:40.00
1880	Fonso	George Garrett Lewis	Tice Hutsell	J. Snell Shawhan	2:37.50
1879	Lord Murphy	Charlie Shauer	George Rice	Darden & Co.	2:37.00
1878	Day Star	Jimmy Carter	Lee Paul	T.J. Nichols	2:37.25
1877	Baden-Baden	William Walker	Edward D. Brown	Daniel Swigert	2:38.00
1876	Vagrant	Bobby Swim	James Williams	William Astor Jr.	2:38.25
1875	Aristides	Oliver Lewis	Ansel Williamson	Hal P. McGrath	2:37.75

Kentucky Derby Winners FAQ