Golden Tempo wins Kentucky Derby 2026 at 23-1 odds for Cherie DeVaux

Cherie DeVaux couldn’t escape “The Question” since going out on her own as a thoroughbred trainer in 2018.

From Mary Hirsch in 1937 to Vicki Oliver in 2021, 18 female trainers had saddled horses in the Kentucky Derby before Saturday’s 152nd running. None of them had won.

Would DeVaux become the first?

“I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” she said.

Golden Tempo — a 23-1 shot — and jockey Jose Ortiz rallied from last place early to win Saturday’s $5 million, Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs by a neck.

A crowd of 150,415 saw the 44-year-old DeVaux — in her first attempt — become the first female trainer in history to win the Run for the Roses.

“I started my career here 23 years ago as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed exercise rider," said DeVaux, who later served as an assistant for Chuck Simon and Chad Brown before going out on her own. "I did not believe that I would be sitting up here today. Never in my life did I think I would.”

DeVaux’s victory came three years after Jena Antonucci won the Belmont with Arcangelo and became the first female trainer to win any Triple Crown race.

Golden Tempo covered the 1¼ miles on a fast dirt track in 2:02.27 and paid $48.24 on a $2 win wager.

"This is a dream come true," said Ortiz, who won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday aboard Always a Runner. "This is the biggest race in the world. I get to ride it almost every year, but to win is special."

Renegade overcame a slow start to finish second, and 70-1 long shot Ocelli — trained by 2000 St. Xavier High School graduate Whit Beckman — finished third.

"As he was coming down the stretch and I saw him with a chance to win, my mind went blank," Whitman said. "Then I snapped back in and saw him finish. I'm so proud of him."

Six Speed set the early fractions of 22.68 for the quarter-mile, 46.44 for the half-mile and 1:10.90 for three quarters, with Danon Bourbon and So Happy racing just behind.

Meanwhile, Ortiz was content tracking Renegade, the morning-line favorite who was ridden by his brother, Irad.

"I felt like he wasn't a closer on Renegade," Jose Ortiz said. "I led him in a comfortable position, so I knew he was going to drop a little bit to the back. ... I was expecting (Renegade) to run a very good race, maybe win it. So it was one of my targets to follow, and I did."

As Six Speed faded, Danon Bourbon took the lead with a quarter-mile to go and briefly appeared as if he might run away from everyone. But Danon Bourbon faded, with Ocelli passing him first before Golden Tempo and Renegade went flying by in the final strides.

Jose became the first of the successful Ortiz brothers to win the Derby.

"Hopefully he gets the opportunity to win it one day," Jose Ortiz said of his brother, "but today is not that day."

Irad Ortiz Jr. said Renegade "got squeezed at the start. We came flying late, but the winner just got the jump on me."

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert missed on his attempt to become the winningest trainer in Kentucky Derby history, remaining in a tie with Ben Jones with six wins. Baffert finished 12th with Potente and 17th with Litmus Test.

Six horses — Right to Party, The Puma, Silent Tactic, Fulleffort, Corona de Oro and Great White — were scratched in the seven days between the draw on April 25 and Saturday's race.

Eighteen horses went to post. Great White tossed jockey Alex Achard just before going into the starting gate and was scratched.

Golden Tempo, a homebred son of Curlin, improved to 3-0-2 in five career starts for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable. He entered off a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21 at Fair Grounds.

"Training Golden Tempo has really been a treat," DeVaux said. "There's not a lot of times when a colt that is as big as he is is as pleasurable as he is. He is such a consummate professional. He's got a wonderful personality."

The Preakness is set for May 16 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. DeVaux said Golden Tempo's condition would be the ultimate factor in deciding whether to pursue the Triple Crown.

“The horse is first," DeVaux said. "We’re not here for ourselves. We’re not here for our egos. We’re here for the horse. We'll let today set in, and then we'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow."

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; [email protected]. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.