Golden Tempo Wins 2026 Kentucky Derby, Trainer Cherie DeVaux Makes History After Shocking Comeback
Golden Tempo won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Cherie DeVaux became the first-ever female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and just the second female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Jena Antonucci was the first after training Arcangelo for the 2023 Belmont Stakes.
Here's a look at the order of finish as well as the payouts.
Order of Finish
- Golden Tempo
- Renegade
- Ocelli
- Chief Wallabee
- Danon Bourbon
- Incredibolt
- Commandment
- Wonder Dean
- So Happy
- Emerging Market
- Further Ado
- Potente
- Six Speed
- Robusta
- Albus
- Intrepido
- Litmus Test
- Pavlovian
Payouts (Based on $2 Bet)
Golden Tempo (23-1): Win ($48.24), Place ($19.14), Show ($11.90)
Renegade (5-1): Place ($7.14), Show ($5.46)
Ocelli (70-1): Show ($36.34)
Golden Tempo was in last place all the way in the back but furiously charged down the stretch from the outside. It was incredibly close, but Golden Tempo got it done to cap the amazing comeback.
Jockey José Ortiz, who spearheaded Golden Tempo's amazing run, became the ninth jockey in history to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same year. He won the Oaks with Always a Runner. Ortiz's brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., was the jockey for Renegade, who finished a very close second.
Golden Tempo is owned by both Phipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito) and St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola).
The winner of the Triple Crown's first leg received $3.1 million as part of a record $5 million purse. Renegade got $1 million for second. Ocelli, a huge underdog entering the race, took a cool half-million for third.
Five horses were scratched before the race: Right to Party, Silent Tactic, Fulleffort, The Puma and Great White.
The Puma was scratched on Saturday morning with a skin infection. As the horses were being loaded into the gate, Great White flipped over and threw off jockey Alex Achard. He was quickly scratched.
Nicole Russo of Daily Racing Forum provided a post-race update and some good news on Great White.
Six horses in the 18-horse field closed with odds of 10-1 or shorter, per FanDuel Racing: Renegade, Commandment, So Happy, Chief Wallabee, Emerging Market and Further Ado. All of them had good resumes.
Renegade was long one of the pre-race favorites, no doubt aided by the fact that eight-time Eclipse Award victor and two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher is by his side. It also helped to have Ortiz, a five-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. Renegade was two-for-two in 2026 with victories in the Sam F. Davis Stakes and Arkansas Derby (Grade 1).
Commandment received the most points (150) in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings this year. The three-year-old entered Saturday on a four-race winning streak, including the prestigious Florida Derby (Grade 1) in March.
So Happy was almost as hot with victories in three of his last four races entering the weekend, including the Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1) in April and the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes in January.
Chief Wallabee was a strong contender of late with a third-place result at the Florida Derby and second at the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, won by Commandment.
Further Ado was another Grade 1 race winner, taking the 2026 Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 4. He also finished second in March at the Tampa Bay Derby, won by The Puma in an upset. Further Ado was second on the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings (135).
Emerging Market won both of his races this year at the Tampa Bay Downs in February and at the Louisiana Derby (Grade 2) in March.
However, it was Golden Tempo who got it done.
Golden Tempo was sired by Curlin, who was the Horse of the Year in 2007. Curlin was the Kentucky Derby's pre-race favorite before finishing third, and he also won the Preakness Stakes. Curlin was second in the Belmont Stakes before winning the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Over the past five months, Golden Tempo raced four times and finished in the top three on each occasion.
His debut in New Orleans at the Fair Grounds last December make look a little familiar, as he made up a ton of ground to go from last to first there as well (behind Ortiz's run once again).
Golden Tempo won in January at The Lecomte Stakes (Grade 3) at Fair Grounds. He followed that up with a pair of third-place finishes at the Grade 2 Risen Star and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.
Earlier this week, DeVaux stated that Golden Tempo was dealing with cracked heels, which led to an easier day for the colt. Obviously, that ended up being much ado about nothing.
Golden Tempo is now a Kentucky Derby champion, clocking in a time of 2:02.27.
It's an historic win for DeVaux, obviously, who had a strong resume in her own right leading into the race. Danielle Lerner of USA Today provided some background.
"DeVaux worked as a former assistant trainer for the late Chuck Simon and Chad Brown before she went out on her own in 2018. Speaking to NBC after Saturday's Kentucky Derby, DeVaux said she was at a "crossroads in life" during the summer of 2017, when her husband, bloodstock agent David Ingordo, encouraged her to keep pursuing her dream.
"DeVaux earned her first graded stakes victory with Gam's Mission in the 2021 Regret Stakes at Churchill Downs and won her first Grade I race in 2023. Her career continued to pick up steam when she trained 2024 Breeders' Cup Mile winner More Than Looks and multiple graded stakes winner She Feels Pretty."
The 32-year-old Ortiz has now won three Triple Crown races. The 2017 Belmont Stakes and the 2022 Preakness Stakes were his first two victories. He has also won five Breeders' Cup races and earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2017.
The Preakness Stakes is up next in the Triple Crown. For the first time ever, it'll be held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland while Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore undergoes a significant redevelopment. The race will occur on Saturday, May 16.
The Triple Crown closes with the Belmont Stakes. Like the Preakness, this year's Belmont also won't be at its usual location (Belmont Park) due to a redevelopment project. For the third straight year, it will be held at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, June 6.
