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Golden Tempo jockey: How much prize money will Jose Ortiz take home after Kentucky Derby win?
Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs with Jose Ortiz as the jockey and Cherie DeVaux as the trainer.
Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs with Jose Ortiz as the jockey and Cherie DeVaux as the trainer. DeVaux made history as the first female trainer to win the “Run for the Roses.”
After the win, DeVaux in an interview said “I’m glad I can be representative of women everywhere. We can do anything we set our minds to,” as per Reuters.
What to know about jockey Jose Ortiz's win and prize money
Ortiz won the derby for the first time after 11 tries. He beat his brother Irad, who was riding Renegade. The winning jockey reportedly showed off his ‘riding prowess’ that has earned him recent praise at Churchill Downs, as per Associated Press.
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Ortiz, as the jockey, is expected to take home about $310,000 prize money, as per CBS Sports. A part of this will go to the jockey's agent and valet as well.
The 32-year-old hails from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico and this marked his fifth start with Golden Tempo. The two came out of Post 16 and finished the 1¼-mile race in 2:02.27. Before today's win, Ortiz's best performances have been with Good Magic in 2018 (second) and Tacitus in 2019 (third). With this, Ortiz has bagged every Triple Crown race.
He won Belmont Stakes in 2017 with Tapwrit and the Preakness with Early Voting in 2022. Ortiz's Kentucky Derby win today came in less than 24 hours since he also won the Kentucky Oaks, the top race for 3-year-old fillies.
What went down in Kentucky Derby
Great White was a late scratch in the race for flipping and throwing his jockey. The Puma also missed out with a swollen leg. The race continued with just 18 horses after that.
While Golden Tempo won the derby, Renegade, a co-favorite, finished second and Ocelli, a 70-1 longshot, placed third.
Kentucky Derby prize money explained
While the jockeys get paid handsomely, the horses rake in a huge sum of money for podium finishes in the Kentucky Derby. The first place, in this case Golden Tempo, will take home $3.1 million. Renegade will take $1 million and Ocelli has bagged $500,000 coming in third.
The fourth and fifth position holders will take home $250,000 and $150,000 respectively. Meanwhile, Irad, who came second will take home about 5% of the purse, which translates to $50,000. The third place jockey, by the same math, will take back about $25,000.
