The most-watched two minutes in American sports. On May 2, 2026, Golden Tempo came from last place at 23-1 odds to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby in 2:02.27; and trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman ever to saddle a Derby winner.
Golden Tempo's stretch run is already being called one of the great closing runs in Derby history. Here is the full top-10 finish order with payouts and exotic results.
| Pos | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Tempo | Jose Ortiz | 23-1 |
| 2 | Renegade | Flavien Prat | 5-1 |
| 3 | Ocelli | Tyler Gaffalione | 70-1 |
| 4 | Chief Wallabee | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 7-1 |
| 5 | Burnham Square | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 12-1 |
| 6 | Citizen Bull | Mike Smith | 9-1 |
| 7 | Sandman | John Velazquez | 15-1 |
| 8 | Tappan Street | Junior Alvarado | 22-1 |
| 9 | Final Gambit | Joel Rosario | 30-1 |
| 10 | Owen Almighty | Florent Geroux | 40-1 |
| Win | $48.24 |
| Place | $19.14 |
| Show | $11.90 |
| $2 Exacta (1-2) | $431.74 |
| $1 Trifecta (1-2-3) | $9,128.30 |
| $1 Superfecta (1-2-3-4) | $72,481.10 |
From simple Win/Place/Show wagers to high-reward Superfectas, here is every Kentucky Derby bet type explained; with real 2026 payouts as reference.
Pick the horse to finish first. Simplest Derby bet.
Example: Golden Tempo at 23-1 paid $48.24 on a $2 win bet (2026).
Pick a horse to finish 1st or 2nd. Smaller but more reliable payout.
Example: Golden Tempo place paid $19.14 on $2 (2026).
Pick a horse to finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Lowest risk of pari-mutuel bets.
Example: Golden Tempo show paid $11.90 on $2 (2026).
Pick the 1st and 2nd finishers in exact order.
Example: $2 Golden Tempo / Renegade exacta paid $431.74 (2026).
Pick the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd finishers in exact order.
Example: $1 trifecta Golden Tempo / Renegade / Ocelli paid over $9,000 (2026).
Pick the top 4 finishers in exact order. Highest reward, lowest probability.
Example: Superfectas regularly pay five and six figures on a $1 base wager.
Pick winners of two consecutive races (typically Derby + Kentucky Oaks the day before).
Example: Pays well when at least one leg is a longshot.
Place bets months in advance with locked-in odds. Available at Kentucky sportsbooks year-round.
Example: Pre-race futures often offer 30-50% better value than race-day odds.
For Derby betting in Kentucky, your two best options are pari-mutuel platforms (TVG, TwinSpires) and fixed-odds futures at licensed sportsbooks. Our top 3 sportsbooks for Derby weekend:
The last 8 winners of America's premier horse race, including notable storylines and finishing times.
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Time | Odds | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Golden Tempo | Jose Ortiz | Cherie DeVaux | 2:02.27 | 23-1 | First female trainer to win the Derby. |
| 2025 | Sovereignty | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 2:02.31 | 7-1 | Closed past Journalism in the stretch. |
| 2024 | Mystik Dan | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Kenny McPeek | 2:03.34 | 18-1 | Won by a nose in a 3-horse photo finish. |
| 2023 | Mage | Javier Castellano | Gustavo Delgado | 2:01.57 | 15-1 | Castellano won the Derby in his 16th attempt. |
| 2022 | Rich Strike | Sonny Leon | Eric Reed | 2:02.61 | 80-1 | Second-biggest upset in Derby history. |
| 2021 | Mandaloun | Florent Geroux | Brad Cox | 2:01.02 | 26-1 | Awarded the win after Medina Spirit was DQd. |
| 2020 | Authentic | John Velazquez | Bob Baffert | 2:00.61 | 8-1 | Run in September with no fans due to COVID-19. |
| 2019 | Country House | Flavien Prat | Bill Mott | 2:03.93 | 65-1 | Awarded after Maximum Security was DQd on appeal. |
The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of American horse racing's Triple Crown. Win all three races in the same year and a horse joins immortal company; only 13 horses in history have done it.
No Triple Crown in 2026. Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness, which was won by Napoleon Solo at Laurel Park on May 16 (1:58.69, 10-1, $17.80 to win). Because Golden Tempo did not contest the Preakness, no horse can win all three legs this year; the first guaranteed absence of a Triple Crown since 2018 (Justify). Attention now shifts to the 158th Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga, where Golden Tempo, Napoleon Solo, and Renegade are all expected to start. See our full Preakness Stakes 2026 recap.
Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026, in 2:02.27. The 23-1 longshot closed from last place under jockey Jose Ortiz to edge favorite Renegade at the wire. Trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner. A $2 win bet paid $48.24.
The 153rd Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2027, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Post time is traditionally around 6:57 PM ET.
You can wager on the Kentucky Derby through any licensed Kentucky online sportsbook (FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, Fanatics, Circa Sports, theScore Bet) and through pari-mutuel platforms like TVG (integrated with FanDuel) and TwinSpires (Churchill Downs Incorporated's wagering platform). You must be physically located in Kentucky and meet the legal age requirement (currently 18, rising to 21 on July 13, 2026).
Pari-mutuel betting pools all wagers together and pays winners from the pool after the track takes its commission. Final payouts are not known until betting closes. Fixed-odds betting locks in your price at the time you bet; like betting on football or basketball. HB 904 (passed April 2026) authorizes fixed-odds horse racing in Kentucky for the first time.
Currently 18, both at the track (pari-mutuel) and online. Under HB 904, the minimum age for online sports betting rises to 21 on July 13, 2026, but pari-mutuel horse racing betting remains 18+ at racetracks.
NBC holds the broadcast rights and streams the Derby on Peacock. NBC Sports also offers free streaming via the NBC Sports app for cable subscribers. The race typically goes off shortly before 7 PM ET.
The biggest upset is widely considered Donerail's 1913 win at 91-1 odds. The biggest modern upset is Rich Strike's 80-1 victory in 2022. Golden Tempo's 23-1 win in 2026 was the largest closing-from-last-place upset in the past decade.