Kentucky Derby 2026 Results

 Golden Tempo has won the 152nd Kentucky Derby.  Jose Ortiz is the jockey.  It is his first Derby win.   This race is historic, for the  first woman trainer has won the Kentucky Derby.   Her name is Cherie DeVaux.   She is the second woman to win a Triple Crown race.   Renegade was second, with Jose's brother Irad aboard.   2:02.27 was the time.  The Phipps family owns this son of Curlin.   The Phipps family has been in the sport for decades.  Actually, a century.  They were the family at least half responsible for Secretariat, thanks to having owned Bold Ruler, the sire of Secretariat and the greatest sire of all time as far as I am concerned.  They owned Discovery, Bold Ruler, Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, Buckpasser, and other greats too numerous to mention.

So much of what women in this game as jockeys and as trainers have to do deal with is connections. The Phipps family is about as good as it gets in horse racing.  If women can't form connections with owners and/or trainers, they won't get far in this sport.  There is still a lot of prejudice out there. 

As for Golden Tempo, he came from behind, actually dead last,  to win the race by a neck.  Ocelli was third.  

Great White had to be scratched at the last minute for rearing and going over backwards, throwing his jockey.  There was a delay in the running as a result.  Both horse and jockey seemed okay.

Jose Ortiz also won the Kentucky Oaks yesterday.

The race:

Kentucky Derby Day 2026

 Earlier:  Here is the current odds.  There were many scratches this year with the result of no clear favorite.  Renegade and Commandment are the favorites going into this year's race at 5-1, the 65th I have seen since I was six years old in 1961 and watched Carry Back.

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Earlier in the day:

American Turf Stakes:

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Churchill Downs Stakes, which had a stunning surprise:

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From yesterday, the Kentucky Oaks:

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Old Bourbon Turf Classic:

Kentucky Derby 2025 Results

 On a somewhat off track, Sovereignty has won the 151st Kentucky Derby for Godolphin Stable.   Journalism, the favorite, came in second, while Baeza came in third.

Baeza, as longtime racing fans know, is named for jockey great Braulio Baeza (born 1940), who,  despite all his many wins, is perhaps best remembered for riding the second-place horse in the legendary 1973 Belmont Stakes, Twice a Prince.

The time was 2:02.31.  Impressive on this condition of track.  The early fractions were quite fast.

Bill Mott is the trainer.  Junior Alvarado is the jockey for his first Kentucky Derby.

The winner's pedigree is here.  Bernardini is the broodmare sire.  He won the 2006 Preakness and Travers.

The race via NBC Sports YouTube channel:

Blood Horse link

151st Kentucky Derby Miscellaneous

 At 31 years of age Silver Charm is still going strong at Old Friends in Kentucky.  He has been there for many years.   He is also the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, having won in 1997.  

The race:

The horse who defeated him in the 1997 Belmont Stakes, denying him the Triple Crown, Touch Gold, is still alive and is also at Old Friends.

Snip:

Though Silver Charm led the Belmont with an eighth of a mile to go and looked poised to become the first Triple Crown winner in 19 years, Touch Gold accelerated past him in the last 75 yards to win by half a length. 

Now, Touch Gold lives one paddock over, where a romantic fan can at least imagine the two old rivals carrying on a decades-long argument about who was actually better.

Remarkably, they both still look robust and healthy, which is in no small part thanks to the detailed health care and nutritional support the horses receive at Old Friends. Even though Silver Charm is long past his athletic glory and his coat is much whiter than people remember from his racing days, he still makes a good impression and seems like a horse with plenty of life left in him.

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The morning line favorite  for this year's Kentucky Derby, my 65th is Journalism.

American Pharoah, who won this race on the way to the 2015 Triple Crown, has a son  in the race named Publisher.

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Last year, Steve Haskin wrote a piece for Secretariat.com analyzing and explaining why Secretariat's Belmont record will never be broken.

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Kentucky Derby 2024 Results

 A PHOTO FINISH!!!!!

Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone were there for the photo finish.  To be decided.

Update:  Mystik Dan has won the 150th Run for the Roses.  He was 18-1.  Details to follow.

It was literally a bob of the head that made the difference.

Forever Young finished third.  The time was 2:03.3.

The margin was the closest since Grindstone won years ago.  I would argue it was closer.  It was the closest thing to a dead heat I have seen in this race.

Here is a photo of the finish:

Blood Horse report

THE race, courtesy of NBC Sports:

Earlier:  Today's race marks my 63rd viewing of the Derby.  I have watched every single one of these races live, with the exception of 1974, which was a delayed broadcast locally in Medford, Oregon, with my first winner being Carry Back in 1961, when I was six years old.

I am pushing 70, which I can't believe.

A live stream can be found via here, although I don't believe the actual race will be here given how NBC/Universal are about that sort of thing.  However, this is the official KD YouTube channel, so anything is possible.  It provides a link to a "free" livestream.

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Fierceness if the favorite for this year's race.

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Kentucky Derby 2023 Results

Mage has won the 149th Kentucky Derby.  He had only three starts coming into the race.   Jockey Javier Castellano won his first Derby.  Jockey Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado  are from Venezuela.  Shades of Canonero II in 1971.  He was 15-1.

Two Phil's was second, and co-favorite Angel of Empire finished third.  The time was 2:01.57, far off Secretariat's 1973 record.

Co-favorite Tapit Trice finished seventh.

Commonwealth Syndicate owns the horse.  There are 382 shareholders in Mage.  Mage is sired by Good Magic, sired by Curlin, (dam Glinda the Good), while his dam Puca is sired by Big Brown out of Boat's Ghost.

The race, thanks to NBC Sports:

Louisville Courier

Blood Horse

Blast from the past is NBC Sports rebroadcasting the original CBS Sports footage of Secretariat's 1973 Kentucky Derby win in its original condition, not the cheap-assed faded, bootleg kinescopes found on YouTube:

Earlier:  The current odds for this year's field, which had five scratches are here.

Forte was perhaps the best of the lot, but he was scratched.

Kentucky Derby 2022 results

 A one-time claiming horse (last year) Rich Strike, an 80 to 1 shot, has won the 148th Kentucky Derby.  He was one of the longest shots in the history of the race.  The horse was supposed to be pointed to the Peter Pan Stakes.  

Rich Strike is the second-longest longshot in the history of the race.  I believe Donerail over 100 years ago was the longest shot ever at $184.90 in the 1913 edition of the race.

He has won just once in seven starts.  He was literally a last-minute entry, his connections just entering him this morning or yesterday morning when another horse was scratched.

A good-looking chestnut, Rich Strike was bred by Calumet Farm and was claimed for $30,000 by his current connections back last September.

Nobody thought he had a chance in the race.  He sure proved them wrong.

Favorite Epicenter finished second, while Zandon finished third.

Rich Strike looks a bit like Secretariat with that reddish coat and stripe down his forehead.

Earlier article about him in the Blood Horse.

A report of his victory is here.

He is a son of Keen Ice, who defeated American Pharaoh in the 2015 Travers. Jockey is Sonny Leon.

The opening quarter was the fastest run in the history of the race.

The race from NBC Sports:

Earlier:  Today's running of the Kentucky Derby should be much better than the last couple of them which had DQs.  The Bob Baffert haters are probably rejoicing over his suspension.  The experts weigh in on who they think this year's winner will be.

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Kentucky Derby Results 2021

 Yes, you read that right.  The ghost of Dancer's Image returns for the results of the disputed 2021 Kentucky Derby, won by the late, missed Medina's Spirit, who died a couple of months ago of a seizure or a heart attack after a workout.  Now the horse has been disqualified over "drugging" allegations, and trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended for 90 days.

Second-place finisher Mandaloun is now the official winner of the 147th Kentucky Derby.

Snip:

"Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports," the statement said, "and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction."

Churchill Downs plans to switch the paddock sign honoring Medina Spirit for one bearing Mandaloun's name Tuesday morning. The Kentucky Derby trophy, yet to be engraved, remains in the possession of the track.

The results may tie the courts for years, just as Peter Fuller fought the 1968 disqualification but abandoned the effort in 1973.

Kentucky Derby 2021

Bob Baffert did it again when his horse, Medina Spirit, led almost all the way to win this year's running of the Kentucky Derby in the time 2:01:02.  Favorite Essential Quality came in fourth.  He was wide on the far turn.   He was gaining ground but couldn't catch the other horses in the end. John Velasquez was the jockey.

Mandaloun was second, and Hot Rod Charlie came in third.

The race via NBC Sports:

This was Baffert's seventh Derby win.

This horse cost a mere 1,000 bucks as a yearling, and he was later sold for $35,000.

Medina Spirit wins the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby https://t.co/bLIQ7qkdFW

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 1, 2021

 

Earlier:  Essential Quality is the favorite to win this year's race.  He is undefeated in five stars.  

Earlier in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, there was a dead heat between Domestic Spending and Colonel Liam.  It was an exciting race.

Video via NBC Sports:

Video of the Day

Bob Baffert should study the 1973 Kentucky Derby and how Secretariat's handlers handled him regarding the blanket of roses.  This was without those ribbons dangling down like yesterday's near-fiasco:




Secretariat's winner circle antics, at about the 7:15 mark.  Just click on the video to get a window with the segment since the YT person didn't allow embedding:

Kentucky Derby 2020 Results

Authentic denies Tiz the Law the Triple Crown as he edges out the Belmont winner.  Mr. Big News and Honor AP finished third and fourth.

Authentic beats Tiz the Law (Getty)

Bob Baffert does it again. This was his sixth Derby win.

The time was a very fast 2:00,61



You can find Authentic's pedigree here.  Like thousands of racehorses today, Secretariat is in the pedigree of Authentic's on both his sire and dam's sides.  He goes back a few generations.


Perhaps it is just as well Tiz the Law didn't win it and then the Preakness, for there would always be an asterisk after his name.

Some have blamed his win in the Travers for not being quite as sharp today, but he made a good effort.

Authentic wins the Kentucky Derby!! pic.twitter.com/OiSrJEcvZz

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) September 5, 2020

The race, courtesy of NBC Sports. It took long enough to get an "official" upload:



This caps my sixtieth year of watching this race, all but one of them live (with 1974 being delayed broadcast on my local station). I have watched the Preakness and Belmont live most years since 1961, but I had to work at a law library and attend a few other special happenings like weddings, which interfered with my streak. My first Derby winner was Carry Back in 1961. He won the Preakness that year as well. His ashes are buried at Churchill Downs.

Upon thinking, I think I did watch the Derby and other races at the law library because in 1994, when I started there, I bought a small black-and-white television, which I brought to work and watched the races then.  I later had a handheld color television.  There was no streaming in the 1990s.  I did, however, miss the Preakness when my nephew married in 1994, and I missed it again in 2000, when I graduated with a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and several family members showed up to watch the event.

Kentucky Derby 2020

It can only be described as bizarro this year.  There are almost as many entries as in regular years, but there will be no fans allowed.  Only connections to the horse, track personnel, and media are allowed at Churchill Downs.

It is so bizarro the infield, typically packed with spectators, is instead a parking area!

Meanwhile, there are protests regarding the death of Breonna Taylor earlier this year, and of course the Trump supporters who are there to protest against the protesters.  No big problems so far apart from a shooting elsewhere that is unrelated to any protests.

Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes, is the favorite today.

This year marks my SIXTIETH consecutive Kentucky Derby that I have watched live every year since 1961 except for 1974, which was a delayed broadcast up here in southern Oregon for reasons I don't remember.

Kentucky Derby 2019 Results: Disqualification

Maximum Security, the first horse since 1968 to cross the finish line first, but got disqualified

Maximum Security is five for five as he has won the 145th Kentucky Derby.  He won in the slop rather handily.

Edit:  But NO!!!!!  He was disqualified, and longshot Country House won the Kentucky Derby instead thanks to a foul in the final turn.  It took fifteen minutes for the stewards to reach a decision.

Country House, the horse who won the purse

No Bob Baffert this year for a Triple Crown.

An objection was filed against the winner.  It was tight around the far turn into the homestretch.  Horses veered  out.  Maximum Security impeded two horses, nearly costing War of Will to go down.    This is the first disqualification for impeding another horse by the first place finisher in the history of the race.

I agree with the commenters on the telecast that the best horse won the race, or, rather, crossed the finish line first.

Luis Saez, jockey of Maximum Security, said his mount got scared and veered a bit when he heard the crowd.

Of course, Dancer's Image was disqualified in 1968 because of use of an illegal drug.  Second place Forward Pass got the money and the win.

The time was 2:03.93.  Code of Honor was officially second, while Tacticus was officially third.

Earlier report is here.  Country House is the biggest longshot to "win" since Mine That Bird in 2009.

Maximum Security was placed dead last although finishing first.  I hope he will avenge this "loss" in two weeks at the Preakness.

Another report.

Daily Racing Form report

Lots of jeers from the crowd during the winner's circle ceremony.

The race, official from NBC Sports:



link

Kentucky Derby 2019

For the 59th consecutive year, I will be watching the Kentucky Derby.  Here is a prediction of how the race will go.

I hope the horses and riders will have a safe trip.  Nineteen horses are slated to compete.

45 Years

Today marks the 45th anniversary--can it really be that many years--since Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in 1:59.2, which all these years later is still the track record for that distance at Churchill Downs.

What was incredible about his race was he ran each quarter mile faster than the previous one, which is almost unheard of in horse racing.

This race was the beginning of the national obsession with this great horse.  He already had a huge following in racing circles, but it was television coverage of the Triple Crown that put this horse into superstar status.  I was no different than millions of other people obsessed with this horse.  At the time, I was 18 years old and about to graduate from high school.  I had to have tons of dental work done on my mouth (I need to have it done now, years later, but I can't afford to do it) because I believe I was grinding my teeth too much thanks for having had to wear a brace previously because of scoliosis.  I think it ruined my mouth, and it never recovered.  Anyway, I was going through a lot of pain with root canals and such, and Secretariat was a great diversion.  I also missed some school because I had wisdom teeth extracted, and I was under pressure to get all my credits in order to graduate. 

The week I graduated in 1973 was the week leading up to the 105th Belmont Stakes.  The country's fascination with Secretariat was at a fever pitch, and his connections felt tremendous pressure to do what hadn't been done since Citation won the Triple Crown in 1948.  Quite honestly, the only thing I cared about that week was not my graduation, which was a knock-down, drag-out fight with my mother about what clothes to wear to graduation, but whether Secretariat would win the Triple Crown.  He certainly didn't disappoint and vastly exceeded expectations.

Anyway, enough of that ramble.  Secretariat was the subject of a celebration this week.

The race:



Today's Derby winner, Justify, is a seventh-generation descendant of Secretariat on both sides of his pedigree.  Not that it matters all that much that many generations removed from the champ.  Literally thousands of thoroughbreds are descended from him.

For fun, here is Bill Nack's article about the Belmont, when he worked for Newsday.

Kentucky Derby 2018 Results

Favorite Justify, ridden by 52-year-old Mike Smith, has won the 144th Kentucky Derby, winning easily in the slop.  He is now 4 for 4.

It is the fifth Derby victory for trainer Bob Baffert.  It has been  136 years since a horse has won the Kentucky Derby without having raced at two years of age.

Second was Good Magic, and third was Audible.  The time was 2:04.20.

Justify is sired by Scat Daddy, out of the Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic.  You have to go back several generations to find A.P. Indy in the pedigree, which means that Justify is a descendant of Secretariat (through Weekend Surprise) although there are thousands upon thousands of thoroughbreds today who have him in the pedigree.

The race (a better video will be uploaded later):

Kentucky Derby 2018

As I have done every single year since 1961, when I was a mere six years old, I am and will be watching live the Kentucky Derby.  This year's favorite is Justify, trained by Bob Baffert, who is impressed with this horse.  He isn't bragging Justify is another American Pharoah, but he is impressed with the colt just the same. Justify did not race as a two-year-old.

The field is regarded as "deep" this year.  Many of the entrants have a solid shot of winning the race.  Speaking of "deep," there isn't a chance in hell of Secretariat's Derby record being broken today, as the track is rated sloppy. 

The Courier-Journal says this year's running is the wettest ever.  More rain is expected.

Here are the five wettest Kentucky Derby races in history, along with their winners (* - as of 4:30 p.m.):

1. 2018*: 2.61" (TBD)
2. 1918: 2.31" (Exterminator)
3. 2012: 1.46" (I’ll Have Another)
4. 2010: 1.32" (Super Saver)
5. 1929: 1.19" (Clyde Van Dusen)

The latest odds are here.

Twenty horses are entered in this year's race.

Kentucky Derby 2017 Results

The bettors had this race right, as Always Dreaming, with Johnny Velazquez in the saddle, won this year's Kentucky Derby rather decisively in the slop. He was the fifth consecutive favorite to win the Kentucky Derby.

The time was 2:03.59, way off Secretariat's record.

Second was LookinAtLee, third was Battle of Midway. Classic Empire finished fourth.

Photo of the winner:



It was a big payday if people won the exacta as it paid $336.20.

Video (may have to replace it with an official YouTube video):

Kentucky Derby 2017

Here are the current odds for this year's race.

Always Dreaming is the favorite. Classic Empire is at 7-1.
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Kentucky Derby 2016 Video

Favorite and two-year-old champion Nyquist took the race yesterday, holding off Exaggerator.



More details about the winner is here.

For the record, apparently Shagaf, who did not finish, didn't get hurt or anything. The jockey said he just "spit the bit" and the jockey decided not to force the issue.

If Nyquist wins the Triple Crown, he would be the first undefeated TC winner since Seattle Slew did it in 1977.