152nd Kentucky Derby Champion — May 2, 2026 · 23-1 · Jockey: Jose Ortiz · Trainer: Cherie Devaux
Golden Tempo surged from off the pace in the Churchill Downs stretch to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby at 23-1, with jockey Jose Ortiz guiding the longshot past favorite Renegade in the final furlong. Trainer Cherie Devaux became the first female trainer in history to win the Kentucky Derby — one of the most celebrated milestones in the sport's 152-year history. The victory belongs to Phipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito) and St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola).
The 152nd Kentucky Derby will be remembered as the day a 23-1 longshot wrote history in the Churchill Downs stretch. Golden Tempo broke cleanly, settled off the pace in mid-pack through the first turn and down the backstretch, and saved ground through the far turn as the big favorites worked their way into position up front.
Renegade, the 4-1 morning-line favorite trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., controlled the pace through the early fractions and was still in front at the top of the stretch. But Golden Tempo, under a confident ride from Jose Ortiz, found his best gear exactly when it was needed. He split horses at the quarter pole and swept past Renegade in the final furlong, winning decisively as the Churchill Downs crowd roared in a mix of surprise and pure joy.
Renegade, to his credit, ran an honest race and finished second — a performance that would have won many a Derby. The two horses separated themselves from the rest of the field in the final sixteenth of a mile.
In the winner's circle, the story went beyond the horse. Cherie Devaux became the first female trainer in the 152-year history of the Kentucky Derby to win the race. It is a milestone that decades of accomplished women in the sport had been building toward, and the Churchill Downs crowd understood the magnitude of the moment in real time.
Cherie Devaux's victory with Golden Tempo on May 2, 2026 stands as one of the most significant milestones in American thoroughbred racing history. Women have trained horses, competed, and won major races across nearly every other venue in the sport — but the Kentucky Derby, the sport's most iconic race, had never before been won by a female trainer in 152 runnings. Devaux changed that. The victory is hers as much as it is Golden Tempo's.
The people behind the winner
The Phipps family is one of the most storied names in American thoroughbred racing — a dynasty stretching back generations, with Hall of Fame horses and champions bred at Wheatley Stable and later Phipps Stable. Daisy Phipps Pulito carries that legacy forward. A Kentucky Derby victory adds the sport's most celebrated prize to a family record that was already distinguished. For the Phipps name, this is the culmination of a long and patient pursuit of racing's ultimate prize.
Vincent Viola, founder of Virtu Financial and former owner of the Florida Panthers NHL franchise, has built St. Elias Stable into a serious racing operation in a relatively short time. His partnership with the Phipps family on Golden Tempo represents a meeting of old-money racing tradition and new-generation ownership energy. For Viola, the Kentucky Derby win is the ultimate validation of his investment in the sport — the race that every owner dreams of winning.
Jose Ortiz is the younger brother of Irad Ortiz Jr. — who rode the favored Renegade in the same race. Both brothers are among the top jockeys in North America, and they faced each other in the Kentucky Derby stretch run. Jose saved ground, found the right gap, and timed his move perfectly. His patient, disciplined ride on a horse going off at 23-1 is a masterclass in big-race jockeyship. Ortiz's first Kentucky Derby win came in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Devaux has built a reputation as a meticulous, horse-first trainer who doesn't rush her horses and keeps them remarkably sound. She prepared Golden Tempo with a relatively quiet lead-up to the Derby — not the most decorated prep record in the field, which partly explains the 23-1 odds. But she had him primed at exactly the right moment. In her post-race remarks she was composed and gracious, deflecting praise to her horse and her team. History had other ideas about giving credit where it was due.
Golden Tempo's path to Churchill Downs
| Date | Race | Track | Dist. | Fin. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | Maiden Special Weight | Keeneland | 6f | 1st | Debut win |
| Nov 2025 | Allowance Optional Claimer | Churchill Downs | 1m | 1st | Moved up in class |
| Jan 2026 | Lecomte Stakes (G3) | Fair Grounds | 1&frac116;m | 2nd | Derby points — solid prep debut |
| Feb 2026 | Risen Star Stakes (G2) | Fair Grounds | 1&frac116;m | 1st | Earned 50 Derby points |
| Mar 2026 | Louisiana Derby (G2) | Fair Grounds | 1&frac316;m | 3rd | Strong run vs. deep field; earned points |
| May 2, 2026 | Kentucky Derby (G1) 🏆 | Churchill Downs | 1¼m | 1st — WON | 152nd Kentucky Derby Champion — 23-1 |
Golden Tempo was not the most-discussed horse in the 2026 Derby field. He had earned his spot through a solid but unspectacular points campaign — a Grade II win at Fair Grounds, a third in the Louisiana Derby, no headline-grabbing Beyer Speed Figures, no wire-to-wire domination of a major prep. His trainer, Cherie Devaux, is not one to over-campaign her horses. The 23-1 odds reflected genuine public uncertainty about whether this horse had shown enough.
That quiet path to Churchill Downs is now, in retrospect, exactly what it looked like for Mine That Bird in 2009 (50-1), Rich Strike in 2022 (80-1), and many other Derby longshot winners. The race rewards horses who arrive fresh, who have been trained for one specific day, and who have enough tactical flexibility to navigate 20-horse traffic. Golden Tempo had all of it.
Jose Ortiz found the perfect trip — a stalking position through the first half of the race, clean air into the far turn, and a decisive move in the lane that none of the more celebrated horses could match. The horse responded. The race was over before most of the crowd realized what was happening.
A $2 win ticket on Golden Tempo at 23-1 paid approximately $48. A $2 exacta with Renegade in second paid significantly more to anyone who had the presence of mind — or the luck — to box that combination. This is what makes the Kentucky Derby one of sport's truly unpredictable annual events.
As the Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo enters the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore as the presumptive favorite. The Preakness is on May 16, 2026 — two weeks away. Whether the team points toward the Triple Crown or manages Golden Tempo conservatively is Cherie Devaux's decision. After winning the Derby at 23-1, there is no wrong answer. But the entire sport will be watching.