Cherie DeVaux Makes History as First Woman to Train a Kentucky Derby Winner
Golden Tempo pulled off one of the more stunning victories in recent Kentucky Derby history on Saturday, charging from last place to edge Renegade at the wire and hand trainer Cherie DeVaux a historic distinction: she became the first woman ever to train the winner of the Kentucky Derby.
The 23-1 longshot covered the 1 1/4-mile track at Churchill Downs in 2:02.27, winning by a neck in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 at Louisville, Kentucky. It was a result that surprised almost everyone in attendance — including, it seemed, DeVaux herself.
Last to First
At three-quarters of a mile, Golden Tempo was dead last. Nineteenth of nineteen horses. There was no reason to believe the colt was about to do anything remarkable. But jockey Jose Ortiz had other ideas.
Ortiz guided Golden Tempo through the crowded field in the final stretch, weaving between horses and accelerating past Renegade in the final moments to cross the wire first. Renegade, ridden by Ortiz's brother Irad Ortiz Jr., had led most of the stretch run before being overtaken. Long shot Ocelli finished third and Chief Wallabee came in fourth.
"I just can't. Just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo," DeVaux said after the race. "Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it."
A Historic Trainer
DeVaux is only the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby, and the first to win it. She is also just the second female trainer to claim any Triple Crown race — Jena Antonucci won the 2023 Belmont Stakes with Arcangelo — and she accomplished it in her first Derby appearance, eight years after founding her own stable.
During Derby week, DeVaux had initially downplayed the historical dimension of her entry, but by race day she had come to embrace it. "I'm glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to," she said after Golden Tempo crossed the wire.
Golden Tempo is also the first Kentucky Derby winner sired by Hall of Famer Curlin, adding another layer of pedigree interest to the result.
Ortiz's 11th-Try Win
For jockey Jose Ortiz, the win was the culmination of eleven trips to Churchill Downs without a Derby crown. The victory came less than 24 hours after he also won the Kentucky Oaks, the top race for 3-year-old fillies. His parents were in attendance to witness both wins.
"I get to ride it almost every year, but to get to win it, it's just special," Ortiz said. "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."
The win also made the Ortiz brothers the first siblings to finish 1-2 in the Kentucky Derby, with Jose aboard the winner and Irad Jr. finishing second on Renegade.
The Purse and the Path to the Triple Crown
The 152nd Kentucky Derby carried a total purse of $5 million, with the winning connections taking home $3.1 million. The owner traditionally receives 80% of the winner's share, with the trainer and jockey splitting the remaining 20%.
The race was ultimately run with 18 horses — down from 19 — after Great White was scratched when the horse flipped and threw his jockey shortly before post time. It was the fifth scratch of the week following Silent Tactic, Fulleffort, Right to Party, and The Puma.
Golden Tempo now moves on to the Preakness Stakes as the horse to beat, with DeVaux pursuing a potential Triple Crown bid that no one saw coming before Saturday afternoon. The Kentucky Derby remains the first and most famous leg of the Triple Crown, which includes the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. The last horse to sweep all three was Justify in 2018.
Saturday's race will be remembered for two things in equal measure: the wild late charge of a 23-1 longshot, and the trainer who made history standing in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs.
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