2025 Kentucky Derby Winners: Complete List, Results and Payouts

The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in America. It runs every first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky. The race has been going since 1875 without a single 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 needs to win the Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in the same year to earn that title.

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

When was the Kentucky Derby 2025?

The 2025 Kentucky Derby ran on Saturday May 3 2025 at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky. This was the 151st running of the race.

Rain fell all day in Louisville. The track was sloppy. Still 147,406 fans came out. That number was down about 6 percent from 2024 because of the bad weather. The race pulled in 17.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. That was the biggest Derby TV audience since 1989. At the peak moment 21.8 million people watched at the same time. That set an all-time record for NBC Sports Derby coverage.

Total wagering on the Derby race alone hit $234.4 million. The full race day at Churchill Downs handled $349 million. Both numbers broke all-time records.

Kentucky Derby 2025 Results

Sovereignty won the 151st Kentucky Derby on May 3 2025. He is a bay colt born February 22 2022. His sire is Into Mischief who led North America’s sire rankings for many years. His dam is Crowned a mare by Bernardini the 2006 Preakness and Travers winner.

Godolphin LLC owns and bred Sovereignty. Godolphin is the racing stable of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the ruler of Dubai. They tried 12 times before to win the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty finally delivered that first win.

Bill Mott trained Sovereignty. The 71-year-old Hall of Fame trainer picked up his second Derby win. His first came in 2019 when Country House moved to first after Maximum Security got disqualified.

Junior Alvarado rode Sovereignty to the win. The 38-year-old Venezuelan jockey earned his first career Kentucky Derby victory that day. He had 2,236 lifetime wins going into the race.

Race facts at a glance:

• Post position: Drew post 18 but broke from post 16 after two scratches
• Closing odds: 8.98-1
• Winning time: 2:02.31
• Margin: 1 and a half lengths
• Track: Sloppy
• Winner’s prize: $3,100,000

Citizen Bull trained by Bob Baffert shot to the early lead. Neoequos and Owen Almighty joined him up front. Sovereignty sat back in 16th place. He was 13 and a half lengths off the leader going into the backstretch.

Alvarado stayed patient. He found a lane on the far turn and took Sovereignty five and six horses wide. Sovereignty pulled up beside race favorite Journalism. They dueled side by side down the stretch. In the final furlong Sovereignty pulled clear and won by one and a half lengths. Journalism finished second. Baeza closed hard from the back to grab third by a neck.

Race splits: Quarter mile 22.81. Half mile 46.23. Three-quarter mile 1:10.78. One mile 1:36.84. Final 2:02.31.

One week after the race Churchill Downs stewards fined jockey Junior Alvarado $62,000 and gave him a two-day suspension. The reason was hitting Sovereignty’s hind quarters two times over the six-strike crop limit set by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Full 2025 Kentucky Derby Order of Finish

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1st	Sovereignty	Junior Alvarado	Bill Mott	8.98-1
2nd	Journalism	Umberto Rispoli	Michael McCarthy	3.70-1
3rd	Baeza	Flavien Prat	John Shirreffs	14-1
4th	Final Gambit	Luan Machado	Brad Cox	15-1
5th	Owen Almighty	Javier Castellano	Brian Lynch	40-1
6th	Burnham Square	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Ian Wilkes	15-1
7th	Sandman	Jose Ortiz	Mark Casse	9-2
8th	East Avenue	Manuel Franco	Brendan Walsh	37-1
9th	Chunk of Gold	Jareth Loveberry	Ethan West	28-1
10th	Tiztastic	Joel Rosario	Steven Asmussen	19-1
11th	Coal Battle	Juan Vargas	Lonnie Briley	27-1
12th	Luxor Cafe	Joao Moreira	Noriyuki Hori	11-1
13th	Neoequos	Luis Saez	Saffie Joseph Jr.	49-1
14th	Publisher	Irad Ortiz Jr.	Steven Asmussen	28-1
15th	Citizen Bull	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	14-1
16th	American Promise	Nik Juarez	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
17th	Render Judgement	Julien Leparoux	Kenneth McPeek	15-1
18th	Flying Mohawk	Joseph Ramos	Whit Beckman	32-1
19th	Admire Daytona (JPN)	Christophe Lemaire	Yukihiro Kato	41-1

Rodriguez scratched May 1 with a foot bruise. Grande scratched May 2 with a cracked heel. The field dropped from 20 to 19 horses. Baeza drew in from the also-eligible list. Flavien Prat moved to ride Baeza and Luis Saez picked up the mount on Neoequos.

Kentucky Derby 2025 Payouts

The total purse was $5 million. Only the top five finishers earned prize money.

Place	Horse	Prize
1st	Sovereignty	$3,100,000
2nd	Journalism	$1,000,000
3rd	Baeza	$500,000
4th	Final Gambit	$250,000
5th	Owen Almighty	$150,000

Jockey Alvarado earned approximately $310,000. That is the standard 10 percent jockey cut from the winning purse.

What Happened to Sovereignty After the 2025 Derby?

Sovereignty skipped the Preakness Stakes. His team aimed straight for the Belmont instead. Many people criticized that call at the time.

On June 7 2025 Sovereignty won the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course by three lengths over Journalism. Baeza finished third again. Same 1-2-3 as the Derby. Winning time was 2:00.69. He became the first horse since Justify in 2018 to win two Triple Crown legs. He also became the first Derby winner ever to skip the Preakness and still win the Belmont.

Next came the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26 at Saratoga. Sovereignty won by one length over Baeza. Alvarado said he used about 75 to 80 percent of the horse that day.

On August 23 Sovereignty won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga by 10 lengths over four rivals. Time was 2:00.84. He became the fifth horse in history to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers, and the first to do it since Thunder Gulch in 1995.

Sovereignty went to Del Mar as the 6-5 morning line favorite for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. He developed a fever after arriving. Mott scratched him Wednesday morning. The race ran without him.

His final 2025 numbers: 6 starts. 5 wins. 1 second. Total earnings: $5,692,000.

At the Eclipse Awards on January 22 2026 Sovereignty won Horse of the Year with 201 of 220 votes. He also won Champion 3-Year-Old Male with 219 of 220 votes. Bill Mott took Outstanding Trainer for the 5th time. Godolphin won Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder. Flavien Prat won Jockey of the Year for the second year in a row.

Sovereignty is racing as a 4-year-old in 2026. He skipped the Dubai World Cup. He is expected to return in spring 2026 with the Oaklawn Handicap or Alysheba Stakes as possible comeback races. The Breeders’ Cup Classic remains the ultimate goal.

Kentucky Derby Winners List (1875–2025)

Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the greatest achievements in all of sports. Every winner becomes part of American history.

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

Three notes before the table:

• 2025: Sovereignty gave Godolphin their first Derby win after 12 failed attempts. He went on to win the Belmont Stakes and was named 2025 Horse of the Year.
• 2021: Medina Spirit crossed the line first but was disqualified 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 was disqualified for interference. Country House trained by Bill Mott moved to first.
• Pre-1896 note: 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
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

Looking Ahead: 2026 Kentucky Derby

The 152nd Kentucky Derby runs on Saturday May 2 2026 at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky.

The field lost its early favorite fast. Reigning 2-year-old champion Ted Noffey was ruled off the trail on January 29 2026 with bone bruising. He is out of all three Triple Crown races. That opened the door for several horses to step up.

As of February 2026 Chad Brown’s Paladin leads all contenders at 6-1 after winning the Risen Star Stakes on February 14 at Fair Grounds. He is 3 for 3 overall and has already locked up enough qualifying points to virtually guarantee a Derby spot. Todd Pletcher’s Nearly at 10-1 won the Holy Bull Stakes. Pletcher’s Renegade at 12-1 won the Sam F. Davis Stakes on February 7. Bob Baffert has two contenders in Litmus Test at 25-1 and Plutarch at 25-1 who won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on February 7. Baffert is chasing a record 7th Kentucky Derby win. He currently shares the all-time trainer record of six wins with Ben A. Jones.

Kentucky Derby Winner FAQs