Golden Tempo, a 23-1 Long Shot, Charges from Last Place to Victory in Thrilling Photo Finish
In a landmark moment for horse racing, Cherie DeVaux shattered a 152-year barrier by becoming the first woman to train the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Her horse, Golden Tempo, a 23-1 long shot, delivered a breathtaking performance on Saturday, May 2nd, at Churchill Downs, surging from dead last in the 18-horse field to win the “Run for the Roses” in a dramatic photo finish.
The victory was a masterclass in patience and precision by jockey Jose L. Ortiz. After a rough start shuffled Golden Tempo to the back of the pack, Ortiz held his position, conserving energy on the rail. As the field entered the final turn, Golden Tempo was still in last place. Ortiz then launched a furious outside run, weaving through the tiring leaders in the stretch. The colt’s powerful closing kick allowed him to narrowly edge out the 5-1 favorite, Renegade, ridden by Ortiz’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr., winning by a neck. The winning time for the 1 1/4-mile race was 2:02.27.
DeVaux, a 44-year-old trainer from Florida and an alum of FGCU, was overcome with emotion in the winner’s circle. “I’m just glad I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to,” she said, holding her young nephew. This was DeVaux’s first Kentucky Derby horse and a monumental achievement in a field where only 19 horses had ever been trained by women prior to this race. Her triumph follows Jena Antonucci’s 2023 victory at the Belmont Stakes, making DeVaux only the second woman to train a winner of a Triple Crown race.
The win also marked the first Kentucky Derby victory for jockey Jose Ortiz in his 11th attempt. The Ortiz brothers’ historic 1-2 finish added a deeply personal layer to the event, with the two sharing a touching fist bump at the finish line. Golden Tempo, a homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, is a son of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, adding a note of pedigree to the story of perseverance and breakthrough.
