Kentucky Derby 2021: Results and purse money at ‘The Run for the Roses’

May 9, 2021 update: Medina Spirit has reportedly failed a drug test. Should those result be confirmed, the horse will be retroactively disqualified from the Kentucky Derby, forfeiting its first-place finish and winnings.

Medina Spirit is the winner of the 147th Kentucky Derby at famed Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse entered the race with 12-1 odds to win. Mandaloun (26-1) came in second, Hot Rod Charlie (5-1) finished third, and Essential Quality (5-2) finished fourth. O Besos finished fifth.

Medina Spirit is trained by Bob Baffert. It’s his seventh Kentucky Derby win.

Essential Quality entered as the favorite with 2-1 odds early in the week. The horse had a 5-0 record coming into the race after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, and Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes in the ramp to the derby. Highly Motivated (11-1) finished second to Essential Quality at the Blue Grass Stakes by a neck after leading the majority of the race on April 3.

This year’s race lost one of its possible contenders when King Fury was scratched from the race with a fever. King Fury had 20-1 odds earlier this week.

Here are the full results:

This year’s Kentucky Derby moved back to its usual spot kicking off Triple Crown season on the first weekend of May after being forced to move last year because of the pandemic. The 2020 Kentucky Derby took place on Sept. 5 and was won by Authentic, also trained by Baffert.

Here’s a look at the full odds coming into the race:

There’s a $3 million total purse in the 2021 Kentucky Derby that gets split up between the top-five finishers. The winning jockey will receive a 10 percent cut of the prize money, while the second and third place jockeys receive a five percent cut.

Here’s how the prize money breaks down:

First place finish: $1.86 million

Second place finish: $600,000

Third place finish: $300,000

Fourth place finish: $150,000

Fifth place finish: $90,000