There are days that sports will forever remember. Saturday, May 2, 2026, will be one of them. Golden Tempo, a three-year-old bay colt who started from last place two-thirds of the way through the race, emerged from nowhere in the final stretch at Churchill Downs to claim the 152nd edition of the Kentucky Derby. But the true triumph belonged to his trainer, Cherie DeVaux—the first woman in history to prepare the winner of the Run for the Roses. ## The "Run for the Roses": The World's Most Mythical Race Held every first Saturday in May since 1875 at the legendary Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, the Kentucky Derby is more than just a horse race. It's an American cultural institution, the first of the three jewels of the Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness Stakes (Baltimore) and the Belmont Stakes (New York). Its official distance is one and an eighth miles—approximately 1,800 meters—run on a fast track surrounded by 150,000 spectators in formal attire. The race has produced legends: Secretariat, Seattle Slew, American Pharoah. It had never produced a winner trained by a woman. This 152nd edition was contested under unusually cold weather conditions—12°C an hour before the start, well below the seasonal average of 23°C. The track was fast and dry, the opposite of the 2025 Derby, which saw the race run in mud. Eighteen horses lined up (two last-minute scratches had reduced the field) in an electric atmosphere that was about to turn into something historic. ## Golden Tempo's Impossible Comeback Golden Tempo was far from the bookmakers' favorite. The son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin was listed at 23-1 odds in the pari-mutuel betting. The clear favorite was Renegade, trained by the legendary Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., at 5-1. Ocelli, who would finish third, was at 70-1. The script seemed written. It wasn't. Ridden by José Ortiz—Irad's younger brother—Golden Tempo found himself at the back of the pack in the first portion of the race, relegated to 18th position. It was in the final stretch that Ortiz found a lane on the inner rail and literally surged forward. The 150,000 spectators held their breath, then erupted when Golden Tempo's nose crossed the finish line first. Renegade came in second. Irad was beaten by his brother José. "This is my day and Golden Tempo's day," said José Ortiz in the post-race interview. "I know it was also my brother's dream. He should be happy—his horse ran a great race." ## Cherie DeVaux: "You Can Dream Big" Behind the VIP barrier reserved for the training team, Cherie DeVaux watched the race on a screen, hitting the table with her fist with increasing force as Golden Tempo moved up. Her 15-year-old daughter Reagan was in tears. When the horse crossed the finish line, the trainer collapsed with joy. "I don't even have words right now," she told NBC immediately after. "José did a wonderful, masterful job getting him there. He was so far back, and he had so much faith in this horse." Cherie DeVaux is only the 18th woman to have started a horse in the Derby, and the second to win a Triple Crown race—after Jena Antonucci, winner of the 2023 Belmont Stakes with Arcangelo. But she is the very first to capture the supreme jewel, the Derby itself. Her stable, which she founded eight years ago after studying at Florida Gulf Coast University, has just experienced its greatest triumph. At the victory press conference, DeVaux chose a universal rather than a militant stance: "The fact that I am a woman or my gender really never crossed my mind in this job. What has become clear to me is that not everyone has the same mental fortitude that I do. It is a real honor to be that person for other women and little girls. You can dream big, pivot, come from a different place, and make history." ## Triple Crown in Sight? With the Kentucky Derby in hand, the burning question is, naturally: will DeVaux attempt the Triple Crown? The Preakness Stakes takes place on May 16th in Baltimore, just two weeks after the Derby. The trainer declined to make a public commitment, preferring to see how Golden Tempo recovers physically and mentally from the effort. "We'll see how he responds before making a decision," she said. The time window is short, the risk to the horse is real. Fans, however, are already hoping for the first Triple Crown since American Pharoah in 2015. ## Editorial Opinion The 2026 Kentucky Derby will go down in history for a long time—and not just for the usual sporting reasons. Cherie DeVaux's victory transcends the equestrian world: it is an additional page in the history of women in American professional sports. What makes this moment particularly beautiful is the way it happened: not with a favorite, not with an overhyped champion animal, but with a 23-1 outsider that nobody was looking at. DeVaux had faith. José Ortiz had patience. And Golden Tempo, over 300 meters of the final straight, proved that in sport as in life, the most beautiful stories are always the ones that nobody anticipated. ## Key Takeaways - Golden Tempo, a 23-1 outsider, wins the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs. - Cherie DeVaux becomes the first woman in history to train the Kentucky Derby winner. - Jockey José Ortiz wins the Derby for the 1st time in 11 attempts, beating his brother Irad in a sprint finish. - Golden Tempo is the son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin—a lineage of champions. - The question of a Triple Crown remains open: the Preakness Stakes takes place on May 16th in Baltimore. - DeVaux is only the 2nd woman to win a Triple Crown race (after Jena Antonucci in 2023).