The final stretch of the 2026 Kentucky Derby saw race favorite Renegade and longshot Golden Tempo surge forward, with Golden Tempo getting a historic win.
It was a thrilling finish, and also a big day for two brothers.
Jose Ortiz (Golden Tempo) and Irad Ortiz Jr. (Renegade) were the jockeys atop the top two finishing horses at Churchill Downs on Saturday. You probably don’t need us to tell you that’s a first in race history.
The brothers exchanged a fist bump after crossing the finish line.
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
The win was Jose’s first at the Kentucky Derby. He also won the Kentucky Oaks atop Always a Runner on Friday, making him the ninth jockey to pull off the double at Churchill Downs.
He said he hopes his brother Irad joins him in reaching the winner’s circle some day, but made clear he was happy to get there first while speaking with NBC Sports:
“I want him to win the Derby, of course. I know it’s his dream as well, but it happened my way. I think he should be happy, his horse ran a very nice race, it’s a very nice horse. It was my year, today’s my day. It was Golden Tempo’s day.”
It was a bittersweet moment for Irad, who celebrated with Jose but still had to be consoled by Renegade owner Mike Repole, who could be heard joking “f*** your brother” before saying “If you’re going to f***ing lose, lose to your brother.”
The results continued a highly successful 2026 for both brothers. Irad entered Friday leading all jockeys in earnings for the year with 111 wins in 445 starts, while Jose was fourth in earnings with 102 wins in 401 starts, according to Bloodhorse’s leaderboard.
The pair became the third sibling tandem to simply compete at the Derby in 2014, per the Courier Journal, and have been regulars at the race ever since.
