The 152nd Kentucky Derby is officially in the books, and it delivered one of the wildest finishes in recent memory. Under the lights at Churchill Downs, 23-1 long shot Golden Tempo stormed from well off the pace to steal the win in the final stretch, and with that, history was made.
Here’s how everything unfolded at Churchill Downs, with the full finishing order below.
Who won the 2026 Kentucky Derby? Full finishing order
For much of the Kentucky Derby, Six Speed was holding onto first place. A wild push emerged at the end, though, with Six Speed slipping, and the unexpected happened. Renegade pulled into first place briefly, only for Golden Tempo, a horse on very few radars, to win it, coming back from a massive early deficit.
|
Place |
Horse |
|---|---|
|
Winner |
Golden Tempo |
|
2 |
Renegade |
|
3 |
Ocelli |
|
4 |
Chief Wallabee |
|
5 |
Danon Bourbon |
|
6 |
Incredibolt |
|
7 |
Commandment |
|
8 |
Wonder Dean |
|
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 |
Golden Tempo was able to win this race in electric fashion, yet that wasn’t the most insane outcome of this race. Cherie DeVaux, Golden Tempo’s trainer, became the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. How cool is that?
Who was favored to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby?
Renegade entered the race as the favorite with 5-1 odds, according to ESPN. This was far from clear-cut, though, as both Commandment and Further Ado had 6-1 odds.
Renegade entered the race coming off back-to-back wins at the Sam F. Davis Stakes and at the Arkansas Derby, and he hadn’t finished any lower than first place since 2025, so it certainly made sense to bet on the hot hand.
This proved to be meaningless, though, as Golden Tempo, with incredible 23-1 odds, was able to scratch out the victory.
Who won the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
The 2025 Kentucky Derby stands out not only because the conditions were so poor, but also because there was an upset. Journalism entered the Derby as the favorite to win, and led much of the way, but Sovereignty, with 7-1 odds, passed Journalism late, winning by 1.5 lengths and earning over $3 million as a result.
What’s most impressive about Sovereignty is that this horse won the Belmont Stakes just a month after winning the Kentucky Derby, and had he run at the Preakness Stakes, he might’ve won the Triple Crown — a rarity in horse racing.
Unfortunately, Sovereignty has not raced since August of 2025, and is not participating in this year’s Kentucky Derby. With that being said, Sovereignty is expected to race again sometime this year.
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