Golden Tempo surged from behind to win the Kentucky Derby, with Cherie DeVaux becoming the first woman to train a Derby winner.
A late run turned the Kentucky Derby into a milestone moment as Golden Tempo surged from the back of the pack to win the 152nd race, while trainer Cherie DeVaux made history in the process.
DeVaux became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner after Golden Tempo finished first in a tight stretch. outrunning a field that included the favorite Renegade.. The victory marked a landmark step not only for DeVaux. but for women across a sport long dominated by tradition and trackside power structures.
Her achievement also stands out in the broader landscape of American racing: DeVaux is only the second woman to win a Triple Crown race. with the prior milestone coming with a different winner in the Belmont Stakes.. It was her first chance to capture the Derby eight years after starting her own stable. and she framed the win less as an endpoint and more as a statement of possibility.
For a sport with steep barriers to entry, that kind of breakthrough has ripple effects well beyond the track. It reshapes what aspiring trainers and owners can imagine for themselves, and it changes what fans see as normal.
Golden Tempo was ridden by Jose Ortiz, who guided the colt to the front late after starting further back. The runner-up was Renegade, and another long shot, Ocelli, crossed the line in third. More than 100,000 fans filled Churchill Downs, adding to the charged atmosphere as the race unfolded.
Ortiz’s performance also carried its own storyline: he won the Derby for the first time, doing so on what was described as his 11th attempt. In post-race comments, he reflected on the personal weight of reaching a lifelong goal, even as he acknowledged a missing family presence.
Meanwhile, the field size and lineup did not remain fixed.. The Derby proceeded with 18 horses after multiple late scratches for health and injury-related reasons. including a late change after flipping incidents and others tied to conditions identified during the week.. Track veterinarians made the determinations, underscoring how quickly circumstances can shift in a race of this magnitude.
DeVaux’s win also places the Kentucky Derby back at the center of the national conversation about the Triple Crown. which begins here before moving to the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.. The last Triple Crown winner came in 2018. and the spotlight now returns to what this victory could mean for the next leg of the quest.
In the end, Misryoum readers will likely see two stories in one: a trainer making history in front of a massive audience, and a reminder that the Derby still belongs to horses and teams that can adapt under pressure. That combination is part of what keeps this race feeling endlessly consequential.