The Kentucky Derby Payout, Gate Disasters, and Diamond Hands
By Pat Hathaway | May 4, 2026
The coffee tastes a little sweeter this morning on the Central Coast. I’m sitting here looking at the Monday morning futures, icing the back, and recounting the absolute chaos that was the 152nd Kentucky Derby.
Golden Tempo and The Exacta
If you read my race day strategy post on Friday, you know I was looking for value outside the favorites. When the gates opened at Churchill Downs on Saturday, the strategy paid off.
Golden Tempo went off at 23-1. I loved the horse, and seeing Cherie DeVaux become the first female trainer to win the Derby was a historic moment to witness. But what really made my weekend was the Ortiz brother showdown down the final stretch.
Jose Ortiz on Golden Tempo holding off his brother Irad on Renegade. I had them boxed in the Exacta. That $2 Exacta paid out $278.86, and let’s just say I had significantly more than two dollars riding on that ticket over at my
BetAnything account.
Dan and The Great White Incident
While I was cashing tickets, Big Boy Dan was having a meltdown of epic proportions.
Dan had spent all week talking up a horse named Great White. He loved the name. He loved the odds. He was ready to back up the truck on him. So, what happens?
Literally minutes before the race, Great White flips over at the starting gate, throws the jockey, and gets scratched from the field. Dan just stared at the television screen in absolute silence for five minutes.
“The horse forgot how to stand, Pat. He just forgot how to stand up.”
His bets were refunded, of course, but he spent the rest of the afternoon complaining that his “tax write-off” was ruined by a clumsy thoroughbred.
Reinvesting the Purse
With the BetAnything account flush with Derby cash, I’m funneling the winnings right back into the infrastructure boom.
AMZN is still sitting right where I want it, and the AI server demand isn’t slowing down.
I’m also giving the “plastic computer” Sony α1 II a rest this week. The mud from our ATV trip into the Sierras washed off just fine (much to Judge Roy’s disappointment), but I’m feeling nostalgic. I pulled out a few of C.W.J. Johnson’s original 8×10 glass plate negatives from 1887 this morning. Sometimes you just have to respect the foundation before you play with the new toys.
Comments
BigBoyDan: It was a tactical scratch. The horse knew the track was rigged.
JudgeRoy: Glass negatives never run out of batteries, Pat. Glad you finally came to your senses.
Video Recommendation
If you missed the historic finish and want to see the Ortiz brothers battle it out down the stretch, here is the full replay. Dan refuses to watch it.
2026 Kentucky Derby 152 Race Replay – Golden Tempo (YouTube)
