Golden Tempo, trainer Cherie DeVaux, make history with 2026 Kentucky Derby win

Cameron Drummond, Lexington Herald-Leader on May 2, 2026

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Golden Tempo won the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday night on an unseasonably chilly, but ultimately sunny, day at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Golden Tempo emerged from a field of 18 horses to win the Run for the Roses.

The horse claimed the Derby win by edging out a late-charging Renegade — the morning-line favorite for the race — at the finish line. Ocelli ran third, Chief Wallabee was fourth and Danon Bourbon ran fifth.

Ortiz is the younger brother of Renegade’s jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr. The battle to the wire saw Golden Tempo, who came from well off the pace in the race, to the outside of Renegade, with longshot Ocelli to the inside of both horses.

In fact, well off the pace doesn’t describe things well enough. Golden Tempo was dead last of the 18 Derby runners more than 3/4 of a mile into the race. The horse was shuffled to the back of the pack after getting a rough trip at the start.

It’s a historic moment for horse racing.

DeVaux, Golden Tempo’s trainer, is the first woman to condition a Kentucky Derby winner.

This was DeVaux’s first Derby horse, and she was the first female trainer with a Derby horse since 2021.

In 2023, Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo won that year’s Belmont Stakes.

Golden Tempo’s jockey, Ortiz, also won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday night aboard Always a Runner.

Ortiz is the first jockey to win both the Oaks and the Derby in the same year since Brian Hernandez Jr. did so in 2024 with Thorpedo Anna and Mystic Dan.

This was Ortiz’s first Derby win in his 11th attempt. He finished second in the race with Good Magic in 2018.

A $2 exacta with Golden Tempo and Renegade paid $278.86. A $0.50 trifecta with Golden Tempo, Renegade and Ocelli paid $5,625.39.

A $1 superfecta featuring Golden Tempo, Renegade, Ocelli and Chief Wallabee paid a handsome $94,489.95.

Golden Tempo went off at 23-1 odds and won the Derby in 2:02.27.

The 2026 Kentucky Derby fractions were 22.68 for the opening 1/4 mile, 46.44 for the opening 1/2 mile, 1:10.90 for the opening 3/4 mile and 1:36.45 for the opening mile.

Six Speed, trained by Bhupat Seemar, set the early pace in the Derby before fading at the turn for home. So Happy, Danon Bourbon and Wonder Dean (JPN) were also involved in the pace setting.

The fact Renegade factored into the race result at all was remarkable. The horse came from way off the pace in the early going to close strong and nearly capture the Run for the Roses.

Golden Tempo is a Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred.

Golden Tempo — who was No. 19 in the Derby program — is a son of 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin. Golden Tempo’s dam is Carrumba, who was by Bernardini.

Immediately after the Derby, Golden Tempo’s connections were noncommittal about running the horse in the Preakness Stakes.

This is the second straight year that post position No. 16 has produced the Derby winner. Sovereignty also left from the No. 16 starting gate in his 2025 Derby triumph.

The horses were backed out of the starting gate prior to Saturday’s race following a late scratch, as Great White was unable to run in the Derby. Great White had been an also-eligible horse for the Derby who drew into the field earlier this week.

The Churchill Downs main track was fast Saturday for the Derby. Friday night’s Kentucky Oaks — which was won by the lightly-raced Always a Runner — was also run on a fast track under the Twin Spires and beneath the lights at Churchill.

Only 18 horses ran in the Kentucky Derby. The Puma, a trendy pre-race pick to win the race, scratched out of the race Saturday morning, and Great White was a late scratch at post time.

The Puma was scratched due to a swollen pastern left front and skin infection.

The co-favorites for the Kentucky Derby this year were Further Ado and So Happy, who both went off at 5-1 odds. Neither horse factored into the race outcome.

The last race-time favorite to win the Derby was Justify in 2018. Since then, eight post-time favorites have now loaded into the Derby starting gate and failed to win the race.