With the odds stacked heavily against him, Golden Tempo stormed to an improbable victory at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, making trainer Cherie DeVaux the first woman to saddle the winner of the most famous horse race in the United States. Sent off at the odds of 24-1 in the race on Saturday, Golden Tempo broke slowly under jockey Jose Ortiz and trailed the 18-horse field before threading through traffic and unleashing a late charge from the outside to claim the “Run for the Roses” by a neck on a brisk day in Louisville, Kentucky.
Renegade, the 5-1 cofavourite ridden by Ortiz’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr, finished second while 70-1 longshot Ocelli was third in front of a crowd of 150,415. DeVaux burst into tears of joy and celebrated with her family as the feat etched her name in history.
Here’s what we know about DeVaux, the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby:
The 44-year-old from Saratoga Springs, New York, is a thoroughbred trainer based in Kentucky who grew up around horses and has a family history in the sport.
In a bid to avoid burnout as an assistant trainer, she took a chance on going solo and got her training licence in 2018. The move paid off as she earned her first win in 2019 on just her 29th start. Since then, she has racked up more than 300 victories, including 21 wins in 2026 before the derby. The Kentucky Derby is the opening leg of the Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes is next up on May 16 before the series concludes with the Belmont Stakes on June 6. The race typically has 20 thoroughbreds but went on with just 18 horses on Saturday after two were scratched earlier in the week.
DeVaux joined Jena Antonucci as the second woman to train the winner of a Triple Crown race. She was just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the derby in its 152-year history, and the gravity of the situation came into focus for her days earlier when she saw a girl on the backstretch and realised the impact she is making.
“It really is an honour to be able to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to,” DeVaux said. “You can dream big, and you can pivot. You can come from one place and make yourself a part of history.” DeVaux, nearly speechless after making that history, said she hoped the victory would resonate beyond racing. “I’m glad I can be representative of women everywhere,” she said, crediting her husband with urging her to pursue her dream of training when she was at a career crossroads in 2017. “We can do anything we set our minds to,” she said. DeVaux credits growing up with seven brothers and two sisters for her toughness. After winning the derby on her first try eight years after starting her own stable, she thanked her husband for inspiring her to give it a chance.