Cherie DeVaux Wins Kentucky Derby as First Female Trainer
Golden Tempo, ridden by jockey Jose L. Ortiz, won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The 3-year-old bay colt surged down the stretch in the 1 1/8-mile race to deliver trainer Cherie DeVaux her first Triple Crown victory and mark the first Kentucky Derby win by a female trainer. DeVaux became just the second woman to win any Triple Crown race.
Golden Tempo (post 19) overcame early favorite Renegade, which started from the inside No. 1 post and led late before fading. Ortiz claimed his first Derby triumph on his 11th attempt, edging his brother Irad Ortiz aboard Todd Pletcher's Renegade. "I don't even have any words right now," an emotional DeVaux said on the NBC broadcast.
The field shrank to 19 horses after The Puma scratched early Saturday due to a skin infection, with no replacement allowed past the deadline. Earlier scratches of Silent Tactic, Fulleffort and Right to Party gave way to Great White, Ocelli and Robusta, but Great White was pulled just before post time after flipping during loading, leaving 18 runners. Pletcher had noted of Renegade's post position before the race: "It’s not the one we would have chosen."
Track conditions registered fast under clear skies and good visibility, a contrast to the muddy surface that drenched last year's winner Sovereignty. Temperatures hovered at 54 degrees Fahrenheit an hour before post time, cooler than the Louisville average high of 74 degrees for early May. The National Weather Service records the coldest Derby Days at 36 degrees on May 4, 1940, and May 4, 1957, with 20-25 mph winds.
