LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train the winner of the opening leg of the Triple Crown.
The horse charged down the stretch to make history for DeVaux in the 1 1/8-mile race. Renegade was second and long shot Ocelli third.
DeVaux is just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.
During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train a Derby winner to understanding she’s a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday. She’s just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
Jockey Jose Ortiz showed off the riding prowess that has made him so successful at Churchill Downs in recent days to win the Derby for the first time in his 11th try. He beat brother Irad, who rode Renegade, to that accomplishment.
The race went on with just 18 horses after Great White was a late scratch for flipping and throwing his jockey.