Golden Tempo picked up the pace in the stretch and delivered a historic Kentucky Derby (G1) victory on Saturday at Churchill Downs, making Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Run for the Roses.
While every Derby adds a bit of history to racing lore, the 152nd edition went beyond the expectations of those who dismissed Golden Tempo at odds of 23-1.
Guiding Golden Tempo ($48.24) from last of 18 entering the far turn was Jose Ortiz, winning his first Derby in 11 attempts. On Friday, Ortiz won the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Always a Runner, his fifth winner on the card.
The final yards of the race came down to a neck-and-neck battle between slight favorite Renegade, ridden by Jose’s brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Golden Tempo, whose previous stakes victory came in the Lecomte (G3) in January. Ocelli, a maiden, finished third, followed by Chief Wallabee.
“I’m just so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job at getting him there, He was so far out of it, and he has had so much faith in this horse,’’ DeVaux said.
“I’m glad I could be representative of women everywhere. We can do anything we set our minds to.”
Daisy Phipps of co-owners Phipps Family Stable said: “She is a phenomenal horsewoman. We knew he would have one run.”
How the Derby unfolded
The Derby win was a huge surprise as Florida Derby (G1) winner Commandment, Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Further Ado and Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Renegade were the three top contenders. There was little chatter on the chances of Golden Tempo, who finished a closing third in the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 21.
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VICTORY FOR GOLDEN TEMPO IN THE 152ND KENTUCKY DERBY!
: The 152nd Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/bWevY504eH
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 2, 2026
DeVaux said the long time off between races was in the plans and that she believed the extra 1/16-mile distance of the 1 ¼ miles would be to her colt’s advantage.
How right she was.
Golden Tempo, a deep closer who ran his previous four races at the Fair Grounds, put on a performance of a lifetime with his tremendous late sweep down the middle of the track to win by a neck.
“That’s how he runs,’’ DeVaux said. “So, it’s not like we really did anything different than he hadn’t done in his previous starts.
“I watched Jose come up and get himself in position going into the final turn and about the three-sixteenth pole I thought he was probably going to win this. And them I really kind of black out after that.”
Winning time for the race was 2:02.27 over a fast track.
Jose Ortiz is the ninth jockey to sweep the Oaks-Derby double. Brian Hernandez, Jr., did it with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan in 2024.
Lots of scratches before the race, then it got interesting
The buildup to the Derby was stressful for many as a total of five horses were scratched over the past week, including Great White, who moved into the field as an also-eligible but reared up behind the starting gate and was scratched, leaving 18 starters.
When the gates sprung open, the action began at once as Renegade, breaking from the inside post, was squeezed to the back of the back. Incredibly, he managed to stage a late run and finished second under Irad Ortiz, Jr., giving the Ortiz brothers a 1-2 finish.
“We got squeezed at the start,’’ Irad Ortiz, Jr., said. “We came flying late, but the winner just got the jump on me. He ran very well.”
Meanwhile, Six Speed took the early lead as expected, with Chief Wallabee and Danon Bourbon in pursuit. By the time the field entered the final turn, Ortiz had angled Golden Tempo to the outside to make his final run to glory. Down the stretch, Renegade had also rallied, and the two dueled for several strides before Golden Tempo prevailed.
Danon Bourbon was fifth, followed by Incredibolt, Commandment, Wonder Dean, So Happy, Emerging Market, Further Ado, Potente, Six Speed, Robusta, Albus, Intrepido, Litmus Test and Pavlovian.
DeVaux is the 18th female trainer to saddle a 3-year-old in the Derby. Previously, the best Derby finish for a female trainer came in 1992, when Shelly Riley sent out Casual Lies to finish second.
Other races:
In undercard races before the Derby: T O Elvis ($13.74) won the $1 million Churchill Downs Stakes (G1); favorite Rhetorical went gate-to-wire in a 3 1/4-length victory in the $1.5 million Turf Classic (G1); and Stark Contrast won the $1 million American Turf Stakes (G1).
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
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