Kentucky Derby 2026 Prize Money Purse, Latest Vegas Odds, Payouts and More
The Kentucky Derby is the most prestigious event in horse racing and with that comes the biggest purse in the sport.
This year's spectacular carries one of the biggest in its 152 years, with a lineup as impressive and unpredictable as any.
Find out which horses will take to historic Churchill Downs on Saturday evening, what the payout for the winner will be, and what the current odds are entering the race with this preview.
Kentucky Derby Purse Information
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Total Purse: $5 million
Purse Split
Other Triple Crown Purses
Information per The Sporting News
Current Odds
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1. Renegade (4-1)
2. Albus (30-1)
3. Intrepido (50-1)
4. Litmus Test (50-1)
5. Commandment (6-1)
6. Danon Bourbon (20-1)
7. So Happy (15-1)
8. The Puma (10-1)
9. Wonder Dean (10-1)
10. Incredibolt (20-1)
11. Chief Wallabee (8-1)
12. Potente (20-1)
13. Emerging Market (15-1)
14. Pavlovian (30-1)
15. Six Speed (50-1)
16. Further Ado (6-1)
17. Golden Tempo (30-1)
18. Great White (50-1)
19. Ocelli (50-1)
20. Robusta (50-1)
Underdog to Watch: Golden Tempo
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What Golden Tempo lacks in experience (just four races), he makes up for in a proven ability to win stakes races. He has placed in all four races, winning two, and has amassed $333,000 in earnings, according to Equibase.
Jockey Jose Ortiz has placed in 244 of his 407 starts in 2026 and has handled Golden Tempo in all four of his races. That consistency proves valuable in a race as unpredictable as the Run for the Roses.
His victories have been against stiff competition, boding well for him as he faces one of the toughest fields to navigate in recent Kentucky Derby memory.
His late running speed will benefit him down the final stretch, which is the most dramatic and race-determining in all of racing.
