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Churchill Downs has seen 152 Kentucky Derbies. It has never seen anything quite like Saturday.
Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo rallied from last place to edge Renegade in the 152nd running of the Churchill Downs classic. It was a moment more than a century in the making — and it almost didn’t look like it was coming until the very final strides.
From the Back of the Pack to the History Books
Golden Tempo entered the race with 30-1 odds and outpaced 17 other horses to claim the title. Nothing about the early stages of the race suggested what was about to happen. While other horses jostled for position near the front, Golden Tempo sat last — a position that, on paper, looked like a disaster in the making.
It wasn’t.
Golden Tempo made a late surge to defeat one of the favorites, Renegade, with jockey Jose Ortiz delivering what DeVaux called a “masterful” performance. The final stretch produced a finish that no one who witnessed it will forget: Irad Ortiz Jr. was urging Renegade forward in deep stretch, only to be overhauled by his brother Jose aboard Golden Tempo — a brotherly rivalry playing out on the sport’s biggest stage, settled in a matter of strides.
Golden Tempo completed the 1¼ miles in 2:02.27 and paid $48.24.
A Trainer Who Bet on Herself
The result was stunning. The trainer behind it had been building toward something like this for years.
For more than a decade, Cherie DeVaux helped train other people’s horses while dreaming of one day taking the reins herself. She climbed her way up the ranks, beginning as a stable worker before becoming an assistant trainer for Chad Brown. In 2018, she acquired her trainer’s license and went out on her own.
Before Saturday, she had already built a strong résumé, producing a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and a 2025 champion turf mare. But nothing in racing compares to the Derby — and in 18 previous Derby starts by female trainers, the closest any had come was Shelley Riley, whose horse Casual Lies finished runner-up back in 1992.
DeVaux broke that barrier on her very first attempt.
Nearly Speechless in the Winner’s Circle
When the enormity of the moment hit, words were hard to find.
“I don’t have any words right now,” DeVaux said after the victory. “I’m just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job at getting him there. He was so far out of it, and he has had so much faith in this horse.”
As the significance of the historic win settled in, DeVaux spoke to what it meant beyond her own career. “It really is an honor to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to. You can dream big and you can pivot, you can come from one place and make yourself a part of history.”
The Horse, the Pedigree, the Upset
Golden Tempo is by Curlin, the Hall of Fame stallion who won the Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2007 and earned American Horse of the Year honors in both 2007 and 2008 — making Golden Tempo the first Derby winner sired by Curlin. Previous Curlin runners had finished second at Churchill Downs multiple times without ever breaking through.
The colt’s road to the Derby was unconventional. He took the Fair Grounds Road to Churchill Downs, winning the Lecomte Stakes before finishing third in both the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. The addition of blinkers helped him in that final prep, and he took a massive leap forward on Saturday.
Renegade finished second and Ocelli — a maiden who entered at 70-1 odds — came third.
What Comes Next
DeVaux did not commit to running Golden Tempo in the Preakness Stakes on May 16, saying she would see how the horse responded before making a decision. Whether or not a Triple Crown bid follows, Saturday’s result already stands on its own.
One hundred and fifty-two Kentucky Derbies. One hundred and fifty-two winning trainers.
Cherie DeVaux is the first woman among them.
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