Golden Tempo rallies from last, wins Derby at 23-1…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After being asked all week about the possibility of becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, Cherie DeVaux was nearly speechless when Golden Tempo charged from the back of the pack Saturday to make history for her.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” DeVaux said to a rousing round of applause.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Golden Tempo navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch. With a crowd of more than 100,000 watching and roaring at Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo passed morning-line favorite Renegade — ridden by Jose’s brother Irad — just before the wire to win by a neck at odds of 23-1. The winning time for the 1¼-mile race was 2:02.27.

DeVaux joined Jena Antonucci, who trained Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont, as the only women to train the winner of a Triple Crown race. DeVaux was just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Derby in its 152-year history, with the best previous finish being Shelley Riley’s runner-up result with Casual Lies in 1992.

DeVaux said the gravity of the situation came into focus for her days earlier when she saw a young girl on the backstretch and realized the impact she is making.

“It really is an honor to be able to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to,” DeVaux said. “You can dream big, and you can pivot. You can come from one place and make yourself a part of history.”

DeVaux credits growing up with seven brothers and two sisters for her toughness. After winning the Derby on her first try eight years after starting her own stable, she thanked her husband for inspiring her to give it a chance.

“I didn’t believe,” DeVaux said. “I started my career here 22 years ago as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed exercise rider. And I would not believe that I would be sitting up here today. Never in my life did I think I would.”

It came with a lot of hard work. DeVaux fielded questions this week about Golden Tempo’s cracked heels, and she downplayed concerns. She put a lot of time into getting the colt into form, trying blinkers and other things to get the son of Curlin to focus.

Jose Ortiz even described Golden Tempo as lazy. But Ortiz showed what he and the horse could do Saturday, winning the Derby for the first time in his 11th try — and doing so in impressive fashion.

The Ortiz brothers’ parents were there to witness it.

“I get to ride it almost every year, but to get to win it, it’s just special,” said Jose Ortiz, who also won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday aboard Always a Runner. “I just wish my grandpa was here, but I know he’s looking from heaven. Just very happy that I get my goal, my life dream goal achieved.”

Watching from the stands, DeVaux was not worried when Golden Tempo was last in the field of 18 for much of the Kentucky Derby. “That’s how he runs,” she said, “so it’s not like we really did anything different than he had done in his previous starts.”

Ortiz began making his move around the far turn and was 13th with a quarter-mile to go. He was ready to rumble and began navigating through horses one by one.

At the top of the stretch, Golden Tempo was still 13th with 12 more horses to pass. He chose the outside lane, going around the field rather than inside.

Ortiz set his sights on older brother Irad aboard Renegade, who was also traveling quickly.

“I felt like I had horse,” Jose Ortiz said. “I felt like we were moving along very nice. I felt like going outside on him wasn’t going to hurt me. I think he was the horse to beat.”

Golden Tempo turned out to be that, blowing by everyone and getting to the finish line just in time, justifying DeVaux’s good feeling.

“About the three-sixteenth pole, I thought we’re probably going to win this,” she said. “And then I really kind of blacked out after that.”

Golden Tempo paid $48.24 to win, $19.14 to place and $11.90 to show. Renegade paid $7.14 to place and $5.46 to show. Ocelli, who didn’t get into the field until Thursday when Brad Cox’s Fulleffort was ruled out, paid $36.34 to show after going off at 70-1.

“He gave me a really good run and proud of his effort,” Ocelli jockey Tyler Gaffalione said. “We were just not able to get the job done, but hats off to the winner and runner-up. They ran huge races.”

The 152nd Kentucky Derby went on with just 18 horses after a scary incident before the race. Great White was a late scratch by track veterinarians after flipping and throwing his jockey.

Great White’s trainer, John Ennis, confirmed to The Associated Press that the big gray gelding and jockey Alex Achard were fine.

Great White became the fifth horse scratched this week and the second Saturday. Silent Tactic was ruled out Wednesday, Fulleffort on Thursday and Right to Party on Friday, allowing Great White, Ocelli and Robusta to get in. The Puma was out, less than 12 hours before post time, because of a swollen leg from a skin infection, but it was too late to replace him.

Following Golden Tempo’s victory in the $5 million Run for the Roses, the immediate question was whether he would run back in two weeks in the Preakness Stakes on May 16. After two of the previous four Derby winners did not participate in the Preakness, DeVaux said it will be determined in the coming days.

“We’re going to let him decide that,” DeVaux said. “We’re going to have to allow him to tell us because the horse is first. We’re not here for ourselves. We’re not here for our egos. We’re here for the horse.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.