2026 Kentucky Derby prize money, payouts: What winner, top five horses earned for the first Triple Crown race
Golden Tempo earned the winner’s share of the Kentucky Derby’s $5 million purse
By
Robby Kalland
May 2, 2026
at
7:57 pm ET
•
1 min read
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The 2026 Kentucky Derby saw Golden Tempo take home the garland of roses in a historic win at the 152nd edition of the race, as Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to have a horse win the Kentucky Derby.
Golden Tempo came from well back in the pack after the final turn to make a huge push to the line under the guidance of jockey Jose Ortiz, edging out co-favorite Renegade at the line to capture the Kentucky Derby crown.
After six horses were scratched from the field — including Great White scratching after bucking off his jockey and falling over at the starting gate — the field of 18 ran an incredibly exciting mile-and-a-quarter race, with Golden Tempo and Renegade dueling down the final stretch on the outside for the win.
With that win, Golden Tempo earned its owners, St. Elias Stable, trainer and jockey a massive payday.
2026 Kentucky Derby purse breakdown
The 2026 Kentucky Derby once again featured a $5 million purse, paid out to the top five horses in the field. The purse increased from $3 million to $5 million in 2024 ahead of the landmark 150th Kentucky Derby and has remained there since. The winner of the race took home $3.1 million (more than the entire purse was back in 2023), while the horse that finished second still pulled down $1 million. The full purse breakdown for the top 5 horses in the field looks like this:
