Kentucky Derby 2026: Golden Tempo Wins at 23-1 as Cherie DeVaux Makes History as First Female Trainer

# Kentucky Derby 2026: Golden Tempo Wins at 23-1 as Cherie DeVaux Makes History as First Female Trainer

> **Quick answer:** Golden Tempo, a 23-1 long shot, won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2026, with jockey Jose Ortiz riding from dead last to a nose victory over favorite Renegade. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, 44, became the first woman in history to train a Kentucky Derby winner — 152 years after the race was first run.

Golden Tempo Kentucky Derby 2026 odds looked like a lottery ticket at 23-1, but Cherie DeVaux always believed. In a sport that has never, in 152 runnings, produced a female winning trainer, DeVaux didn't just break a record — she shattered a ceiling that most people had stopped noticing was there.

## The Race: Last to First in the Stretch

The 152nd Run for the Roses was not supposed to unfold this way. Co-favorites were expected to battle at the front. Instead, Golden Tempo broke slowly and settled into 18th place — dead last — as the field turned for home at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Then Jose Ortiz, riding in his 11th Kentucky Derby attempt, made his move.