The 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday is in the books, and Golden Tempo crossed the finish line first, holding off Renegade and Ocelli, who finished second and third, respectively.
Golden Tempo, who pulled away at the end after sitting in last place going into the final turn, had odds of 25-1 at post time. He is trained by Cherie Devaux, who became the first-ever women’s trainer to win a Kentucky Derby, and had Jose L. Ortiz aboard as the jockey.
The long shot Golden Tempo paid $48.24 to win, $19.14 to place and $11.90 to show. Renegade paid $7.14 to place and $5.46 to show. Ocelli — who didn’t get into the field until Thursday when Brad Cox’s Fulleffort was ruled out — paid $36.34 to show.
DeVaux is just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.
“Being a woman or my gender has never really crossed my mind in this journey of mine,” DeVaux said. “I’m glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds do.”
Though every Kentucky Derby is wide open, such is the nature of a race with 18 of the world’s best horses — after The Puma and Great White were scratched Saturday — in the field and 150,000 people in the stands, this year’s edition was expected to be even more unpredictable thanks to the lack of a standout runner.
Renegade — co-owned by billionaire St. John’s booster Mike Repole — was the morning-line favorite, but his post position and some concerns about a cracked heel left him unfancied compared to the chalk in the previous year.
Golden Tempo’s 23-1 odds were longer than last year’s winner Sovereignty, which went off at 7-1.
During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train a Derby winner to understanding she’s a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday.
She’s just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” DeVaux said a little over an hour after the crowning achievement of her career. “There was a joke about me being one and done, but I think I’m going to need to do this again.”
Jockey Jose 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 brother Irad, who rode Renegade, to that accomplishment.
It is unknown if Golden Tempo will run in the Preakness Stakes, which is scheduled for May 16. Sovereignty opted to skip the middle leg of the Triple Crown, a move that left railbirds disappointed, especially after he won the Belmont Stakes a couple of weeks later.
DeVaux said the decision would be made in the coming days depending on how the horse is.
“We’re going to let him decide that,” DeVaux said. “We’re going to have to allow him to tell us because the horse is first.”
DeVaux, who credits growing up with seven brothers and two sisters for her toughness, downplayed Golden Tempo’s cracked heels as a nonfactor. She also worked hard to get the colt into form long before the KentuckyDerby, trying blinkers and other things to get him to focus.
Jockey Jose Ortiz even described Golden Tempo as lazy. But Ortiz showed what he and the horse could do on Saturday, winning the Derby for the first time in his 11th try.
Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch. Golden Tempo passed favorite Renegade — ridden by brother Irad — just before the wire to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.27.
Their parents were there to witness it.
“I get to ride it almost every year, but to get to win it, it’s just special,” said Ortiz, who also won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday aboard Always a Runner. “I just wish my grandpa was here, but I know he’s looking from heaven. Just very happy that I get my goal, my life dream goal achieved.”
— With AP
