Golden Tempo Takes Derby in Historic Run

Golden Tempo charged down the stretch to take the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train the winner of the opening leg of the Triple Crown. Renegade was second and long shot Ocelli third, the AP reports. At 24-1 odds entering the race, Golden Tempo, ridden by Jose Ortiz, wasn't thought of as a serious contender, NBC Sports reports. DeVaux became just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race, after Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.

"I'm glad I can be representative of women everywhere," DeVaux said after the race. "We can do anything we set our minds to." During the week, per the AP, DeVaux shifted from playing down what the milestone would mean to accepting that she's a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday. She's the18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Ortiz showed off the riding prowess that has made him so successful at Churchill Downs in recent days to win the Derby for the first time in his 11th try. He beat his brother Irad, who rode Renegade. "Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there," DeVaux said. The 1 1/8-mile race went on with just 18 horses after Great White was a late scratch for flipping and throwing his jockey.