“Golden Tempo pulled off a stunning upset at the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026. Ridden by Jose Ortiz and going off at 23-1 odds, the colt surged from dead last in a field of 18 to capture the win at Churchill Downs. The real headline, though, is trainer Cherie DeVaux. A graduate of Lemon Bay High School in Englewood, Florida, DeVaux became the first woman to ever train a Derby winner. Before this year, only 17 women had ever even saddled a horse for the race. And on her very first try, she took home the roses.
In the home stretch, Golden Tempo went wide and kicked into gear, passing the favorites and edging out Renegade in second and Ocelli in third. Ortiz’s savvy ride also gave him the rare Oaks-Derby double for the weekend. They finished the classic 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:02.27.
When asked what gave her the belief that she could win at the Kentucky Derby one day, Cherie said with emotion, “It was really my husband. In the summer of 2017, I was kind of at a crossroads in life and he told me that I owe it to myself to at least try. He had the faith in me, and he saw what I didn’t see, and believed in me.”
Golden Tempo is a homebred son of Curlin, owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables. DeVaux’s historic win brought new attention to her alma mater, Lemon Bay High, and cemented her place in horse racing’s record books.”
