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Getty ImagesCherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby as Golden Tempo surged from last place to triumph by a neck at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Joe Ortiz urged the 23-1 shot past 4-1 favourite Renegade – ridden by his brother Irad Ortiz Jr – on the line in a breathtaking finish, while Ocelli was third in the 152nd edition of the race.
“Today’s my day and Golden Tempo’s day,” said Joe Ortiz, after winning American Flat racing’s most prestigious event at the 11th attempt.
“I want [brother Irad] to win the Derby, of course – I know it’s his dream as well – but it happened that way. I think he should be happy, his horse ran a very good race.”
Winning trainer DeVaux said she never imagined she would be victorious in the Kentucky Derby.
“I started my career here 22 years ago as a bright-eyed bushy tailed exercise rider and I would not believe that I would be sitting up here today,” she added.
Golden Tempo was at the back of the 18-strong field with half a mile of the one and quarter mile race to go.
Renegade was also off the pace, about 15 lengths back midway through the race as he tried to become the first horse to win from the inside gate in 40 years.
But after storming down the final stretch it looked like the favourite had secured victory, only for Golden Tempo to edge past him on the line, winning in a time of two minutes 2.27 seconds.
Joe Ortiz followed up his victory in the Kentucky Oaks aboard Always A Runner on Friday to become just the ninth jockey to win both races in the same year.
‘I’m glad I could be a representative of women everywhere’
The thrilling finish was almost too much for history-making trainer DeVaux to bear, as she joined Jena Antonucci – who trained Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes – as the only female trainers to win a Triple Crown race in the United States.
“I don’t have any words, I’m so, so happy,” DeVaux, who has saddled 298 winners in 1,802 career starts, told NBC Sports after the race.
“I’m glad I could be a representative of women everywhere and I want to say thank you to the team at Phipps Stable and St Elias Stable [the owners].
“In the summer of 2017 I was kind of at a crossroads in life and my husband told me that I owed 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.”
