# Golden Tempo wins Kentucky Derby as Cherie DeVaux makes history

Golden Tempo has won the 152nd Kentucky Derby in a finish that combined a longshot victory with a landmark achievement for trainer Cherie DeVaux. The horse entered the race at 23-1 and closed strongly to overtake the field, while DeVaux became the first woman ever to train the winner of America’s most famous horse race.

The supplied NBC News report says Golden Tempo’s performance was both dramatic and unexpected. The horse was not among the most heavily backed contenders, but it produced the late surge needed to move past the leaders and claim the first Saturday in May’s marquee event. Renegade finished second, with Ocelli third.

That result gives the race a clear upset narrative. Golden Tempo was described in the report as a horse that had shown promise in the Louisiana Derby and Risen Star Stakes, but one that still was not widely viewed as a serious Derby favorite. Entering with 23-1 odds, it was priced more like an outsider than a classic winner. Instead, it handled the pressure of Churchill Downs and delivered when the field tightened.

The win also rewrites a long-running historical footnote in the sport. Before this Derby, the closest a female trainer had come to that milestone was Shelley Riley, whose Casual Lies finished third in 1992. DeVaux has now gone beyond that line, becoming the first woman to saddle a Derby winner and immediately changing the way her name will be remembered in racing.

Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo and was emotional after the finish, describing the result as a dream. His involvement matters too, since the report notes that he had also won the Kentucky Oaks the previous night aboard Always a Runner, giving him a rare double across the two signature Churchill Downs races.

DeVaux, for her part, said she was happy to represent women across the sport. The report emphasizes that she did not frame the moment as a gender statement in the abstract, but rather as a personal achievement that could still resonate with others. Her comments suggested a trainer focused on the horse in front of her, even while acknowledging the broader significance of what she had done.

The report also notes that DeVaux did not commit Golden Tempo to the Preakness Stakes immediately after the Derby. That leaves the Triple Crown trail open, but unresolved. For now, the victory stands on its own as both a major sporting upset and a milestone for representation in horse racing.

For bettors, the Derby delivered the kind of result that can reshape the day’s memory. But the larger story is simpler: Golden Tempo won, DeVaux made history, and the sport added a new first to one of its oldest races.

That blend of surprise and history is what will define the result in racing memory. Derby winners are often remembered for either pedigree or spectacle; Golden Tempo delivered both a shock and a milestone through the people connected to the horse. Whether the colt goes on to the rest of the Triple Crown trail or not, the Derby already gave the sport a new reference point.