Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when she conditioned Arcangelo to victory in the 2023 Belmont Stakes (G1), the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. But the Kentucky Derby (G1)—the most famous horse race in North American racing and the opening leg of the Triple Crown—had proven elusive for a female in the male-dominated profession of training Thoroughbred racehorses.
Not anymore. On May 2 at Churchill Downs before 150,415 fans and with about 20 million people watching on television, Cherie DeVaux made history when her late-running longshot Golden Tempo, her first career starter in the Derby, unleashed a furious rally from last to defeat Renegade by a neck in the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby.
The colt's victory in the $5 million race set off a celebration, first from DeVaux and her family, and in the stands, with fans savoring her defining moment. The crowd roared in approval as she raised her hands in triumph from the winner's circle after Golden Tempo's victory.
"There was a joke that I'm going to be a one-and-done, but now I think I'm going to have to do this again," DeVaux quipped later.
The Derby was as dramatic as it was historic. Following a precautionary prerace scratch moments before the scheduled start when Great White flipped in the post parade while awaiting to be loaded, the 18 competitors threw down from the break.
UAE Derby (G2) runner-up Six Speed shot to the lead through fast fractions of :22.68, :46.44, and 1:10.90 in the 1 1/4-mile Derby, chased by Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner So Happy and unbeaten Japanese shipper Danon Bourbon, with most of the favorites far off the pace. Golden Tempo, meanwhile, was last of 18, trailing the leaders by more than 17 lengths.
Midway on the second of two turns, it was time for a new leader. Danon Bourbon struck the front, taking command with a mile in 1:36.45. He then extended his advantage, opening up a 2-length lead in midstretch. But the energy he and other front-runners expended early caught up to them late. He hit a wall in the final furlong, and one closer after another began to reel him in.
The maiden Ocelli, a 70-1 outsider who only drew into the race as an also-eligible, was first to strike, closing from the back of the pack in a bid for a monumental upset. But as strongly as he was finishing, it was not enough. Renegade and later Golden Tempo caught him, with jockey Jose Ortiz on Golden Tempo having just a bit more punch on his mount than his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. had aboard Renegade, the morning-line favorite.
With Golden Tempo gaining ground with three-sixteenths of a mile remaining, "I thought we're probably going to win this. And then, I really kind of blacked out after that," DeVaux said.
Golden Tempo, rallying widest down the lane, hit the wire in 2:02.27, the fastest time in the race since Mage was clocked in 2:01.57 in the 2023 Derby. He paid $48.24 to win in the 18-horse field.
A jubilant Ortiz celebrated passing the wire in winning the Derby in his 11th ride. In his best prior finish, he was second in 2018 aboard reigning 2-year-old champion male Good Magic , losing to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify .
Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Renegade settled for the runner-up position, three-quarters of a length ahead of Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) third-place finisher Ocelli in third. Chief Wallabee was fourth, and Danon Bourbon faded to fifth.
Incredibolt, Commandment, Wonder Dean, So Happy, Emerging Market, favored Further Ado, Potente, Six Speed, Robusta, Albus, Intrepido, Litmus Test, and Pavlovian completed the order of finish.
Irad Ortiz Jr. congratulated his brother on horseback after the race, but found himself overcome with emotion at his near miss as he greeted the colt's connections after the race. Later, he hugged his daughter, Sarai, as she ran into his arms with tears streaming down her face.
"It's hard," he said. "My daughter gave me a hug. She knows how much I wanted to win this race. It's heartbreaking but, at the same time, her uncle just won, so I told her to go enjoy it. We are happy for my brother, too."
The rider seemed heartbroken to have come so close but to fall short, and was left to wonder what might have been if Renegade had not been repeatedly bumped by other horses in the opening stages of the race when breaking from the disadvantageous inside post position.
"I'm proud of him. I just got caught in the last couple of jumps," he said.
"Hopefully he gets the opportunity to win it one day," Jose Ortiz said of his brother later in a postrace press conference.
Despite a less-than-ideal trip caused by Albus, Intrepido, and Litmus Test impeding Renegade in a scramble for early position, Mike Repole of Repole Stable, co-owner of Renegade, did not bemoan the loss.
"I'm actually more upset that Irad lost than me," he said. "That kid rode his ass off. I know if I lost to my younger brother, we wouldn't be brothers. Think about Irad's parents, 1-2 in the Derby. Cherie, first female winning the Derby. If I wasn't in the race, I would have rooted for her. It's all great. This is what racing is supposed to be about."
All love as @RepoleStable consoles a very emotional @iradortiz after Renegade runs second in the @KentuckyDerby. pic.twitter.com/zaLXfl0Ko2
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) May 2, 2026
Whit Beckman, trainer of Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate, and Front Page Equestrian's Ocelli, was elated with his horse's performance and near upset. Ocelli lost by just a length.
"I thought for a minute I could win the Derby," he said. "Then that reality when you get inside the sixteenth pole that you're in the toughest race in the world, there's going to be horses coming."
He was also excited for DeVaux, having known her for 20 years, and with each having shared the experience of having been an assistant to trainer Chad Brown. DeVaux struck out on her own as a trainer in 2018, Beckman in 2021.
"She's done a fantastic job with her stable, and here she is winning the Derby. It's incredible," he said.
While Ortiz and DeVaux celebrated winning their first Derby, co-owners Phipps Stable and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable notched a second win in the historic race. Viola's St. Elias Stable co-owned Always Dreaming, the 2017 Derby winner, with a group of other partners, and Phipps Stable, as co-owners with Stuart Janney III, took the 2013 Run for the Roses with Orb.
"It's not lost on (wife) Teresa and I, the whole family, that the Phipps family have allowed us to participate in this sport with them," Viola said. "So Ogden and Daisy and the whole family that's here, it's not lost on us. And we deeply, deeply appreciate the opportunity to do special things like this."
Golden Tempo is a bay homebred son of elite classic-winning sire Curlin out of the grade 1-placed, graded stakes winner Carrumba. The colt is the second starter and first winner for Carrumba, a daughter of Bernardini, bred and raced by Phipps Stable.
He is the first Derby winner for Curlin, who stood for $225,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky., earlier this year before being shelved from stud duty because of declining fertility.
"This is everything to anybody in horse racing, really," said Daisy Phipps Pulito of Phipps Stable. "This is (why) we breed to race. This is why you do it, to be on stages like this."
"This is in our blood and we love it," added co-owner Ogden Phipps II. "When we were looking for partners, the Violas and our family are very, very close. It was just a natural to try to do this together. And just super thankful that we have.
"It's a family hobby. It's a family passion. It's a family business for us. And we love it."
