The 2026 Kentucky Derby was decided by a neck. How common is this?

Golden Tempo and Renegade took similar paths to deciding the outcome of the 2026 Kentucky Derby at a chilly Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Both horses had less than ideal starts to the race, bumping against other runners and shuffling to the back of the field. Golden Tempo was dead last of the race’s 18 horses more than 3/4 of a mile into the race. Renegade wasn’t much better off, just ahead of him.

But when it came down to the stretch battle that decided the Derby, it was Golden Tempo and Renegade matching each other’s stride.

Golden Tempo prevailed by a neck to beat out Renegade to win Derby 152.

In addition to being a history-making moment — Cherie DeVaux is now the first woman to train a Derby winner — it was also one of the closest finishes in modern Derby history.

Golden Tempo won 2026 Kentucky Derby by a neck over Renegade

Few things will compare to Derby 150 in 2024, when Mystik Dan won from a three-horse photo finish with Sierra Leone and Forever Young (JPN). Still, Golden Tempo’s late charge to win over a fast-closing Renegade was a Derby that went down to the wire.

And it’s not every year that it takes until the very end for a Derby winner to emerge.

Here’s a look at some of the closest finishes in modern Derby history.

• Worth defeats Duval by a neck in 1912: The 38th running of the Kentucky Derby came down to a neck margin. After establishing a 1-length lead in the stretch, Worth fended off a charge from Duval to win the race in 2:09.40.

• Paul Jones defeats Upset by a head in 1920: The 46th Derby was decided by a head. Paul Jones scored a win over the favorite, Upset, by that margin.

• Whiskery defeats Osmand by a head in 1927: Another head margin decided the 53rd Derby in 1927, when Whiskery defeated Osmand by that margin. The result came after Whiskery and Osmand were even with 1/16 of a mile to go.

• Brokers Tip defeats Head Play by a nose in 1933: For the first time in race history, the Kentucky Derby was officially decided by a nose in 1933. That’s when Brokers Tip defeated Head Play to claim the 59th running of the race. Brokers Tip remains the most recent maiden — a horse yet to win a race — to win the Derby.

• Bold Venture defeats Brevity by a head in 1936: Just three years later, the 62nd Kentucky Derby saw Bold Venture open up a length lead over Brevity in the stretch, before Bold Venture held on to win by just a head margin. He won the race in a final time of 2:03.60.

• Jet Pilot defeats Phalanx by a head in 1947: Jet Pilot established an early lead and held on to beat Phalanx in the 73rd Derby, but the race finish was particularly dramatic in 1947. That’s because Faultless was also involved at the end, and the Derby was decided in a three-horse photo finish. Until 2024, this was the only three-horse photo finish to decide the race.

• Dark Star defeats Native Dancer by a head in 1953: Dark Star used a front-running performance to defeat Native Dancer in the 79th Derby in 1953. Dark Star won the race in a final time of 2:02.

• Iron Liege defeats Gallant Man (GB) by a nose in 1957: It took more than 20 years, but another Derby was decided by a nose margin in 1957. That’s when Iron Liege topped Gallant Man (GB) by that slim margin. But there was a catch. Part of the reason the 1957 race was decided by a nose was because legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker misjudged the finish line and stood up too early in his stirrups while riding Gallant Man. Shoemaker remains the oldest jockey to win the Derby when he did so at age 54 aboard Ferdinand in 1986.

• Northern Dancer defeats Hill Rise by a neck in 1964: The 90th running of the Kentucky Derby was decided by a neck in 1964 with Northern Dancer edging out Hill Rise. At the time, Northern Dancer’s winning time of 2:00 set a Churchill Downs track record.

• Majestic Prince defeats Arts and Letters by a neck in 1969: Another neck margin decided the 1969 race when post-time favorite Majestic Prince held on in the stretch to defeat Arts and Letters.

• Winning Colors defeats Forty Niner by a neck in 1988: It took nearly 20 years after Majestic Prince’s win for another Derby to be decided at the wire. The 114th edition of the race saw Winning Colors beat out Forty Niner by only a neck. Winning Colors remains the most recent filly to win the Run for the Roses.

• Grindstone defeats Cavonnier by a nose in 1996: The second-most recent Derby that was decided by only a nose margin came in 1996, when Grindstone carved out a fifth lane in the stretch run to defeat Cavonnier in a winning time of 2:01.06. Grindstone was one of four Derby winners for the late trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

• Silver Charm defeats Captain Bodgit by a head in 1997: Bob Baffert’s first Kentucky Derby win as a trainer came in thrilling fashion in 1997, when Silver Charm prevailed over Captain Bodgit by a head. Legendary jockey Gary Stevens led Silver Charm to the tight Derby decision in a final time of 2:02.44.

• Mystik Dan defeats Sierra Leone by a nose in 2024: The historic 150th running of the Kentucky Derby got the ending it deserved when a three-horse photo finish saw Mystik Dan claim victory over Sierra Leone in second and Forever Young (JPN) in third. The result delivered a rare Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double for the duo of trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 9:38 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription