Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Golden Tempo raced to victory at the 152nd Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky, making history on Saturday (May 2) as trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman ever to train a Derby winner. Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo across the finish line, capturing his first Derby win in his eleventh attempt.
Renegade, the morning-line favorite trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Jose’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr., finished second. Long shot Ocelli finished third.
The race at Churchill Downs featured 18 horses after several late scratches, including Great White, who was removed from the lineup after an incident before the start. Golden Tempo's win was especially significant for DeVaux, who is only the eighteenth woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby and now just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race, following Jena Antonucci’s Belmont Stakes win in 2023.
The field had originally included 22 horses, but The Puma was withdrawn before race day due to injury.