Golden Tempo Wins 152nd Kentucky Derby — Kentucky Derby Horses Pictures

Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby, and kentucky derby horses pictures from Saturday now point to a race that paid out at the top end of the sport. The result also set the purse distribution in motion, with the $5 million pool split among the top five finishers.

Golden Tempo and Jose Ortiz

Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to the Derby victory and is expected to receive $310,000 before taxes. After the usual deductions for a Derby-winning jockey’s agent and valet, that figure drops to roughly $217,000 before taxes. It is a clean payout line, but not the full amount that changes hands.

That split matters because the rider’s share is only part of the winning return. A Derby-winning jockey usually gives some of those earnings to the people who handle the day-to-day work around the mount, which trims the check before taxes are even considered.

Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable

The bigger money goes to the ownership side. Co-owners Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable are expected to take home $2.48 million from the winning share of the $5 million purse, while trainer Cherie DeVaux is expected to receive $310,000 before taxes.

The standard split behind those figures is 80 percent to the owner or ownership group and the remaining 20 percent divided between trainer and jockey. In this case, the ownership group’s share is the one that dwarfs every other line item attached to the winning horse.

Top Five Finishers

The purse does not stop at the winner. The $5 million is split among the top five horses, so the full payout picture extends beyond Golden Tempo and into the rest of the finishing order.

For the people tied to the winner, the numbers are already clear: a Derby title for Golden Tempo, a $2.48 million share for the owners, and a $310,000 payday each for DeVaux and Ortiz before taxes. The 152nd Kentucky Derby is in the books, and the money trail is now just as defined as the result itself.