The 152nd Kentucky Derby is in the books, and Golden Tempo crossed the finish line first, holding off Renegade and Ocelli, who finished second and third, respectively.
Golden Tempo, who pulled away at the end after sitting in last place going into the final turn, had odds of 25-1 at post time. He is trained by Cherie Devaux and had Jose L. Ortiz aboard as the jockey.
Runner-up Renegade went off at 5-1. Third-place finisher Ocelli had odds of 75-1.
While every Kentucky Derby is wide open, such is the nature of a race with 18 of the world’s best horses — after The Puma and Great White were scratched Saturday — in the field and 150,000 people in the stands, this year’s edition was expected to be even more unpredictable thanks to the lack of a standout runner.
Renegade — co-owned by billionaire St. John’s booster Mike Repole — was the morning-line favorite, but his post position and some concerns about a cracked heel left him unfancied compared to the chalk in the previous year.
Golden Tempo’s odds were longer than last year’s winner Sovereignty, which went off at 7-1.
The horse charged down the stretch to make history for DeVaux in the 1 1/8-mile race. Renegade was second and long shot Ocelli third.
DeVaux is just the second female trainer to win any Triple Crown race after Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. She won the Derby in her first opportunity, eight years since starting her own stable.
During the week, DeVaux shifted from downplaying what it would mean to be the first woman to train a Derby winner to understanding she’s a role model to girls who might want to follow in her footsteps someday. She’s just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
Jockey Jose Ortiz showed off the riding prowess that has made him so successful at Churchill Downs in recent days to win the Derby for the first time in his 11th try. He beat brother Irad, who rode Renegade, to that accomplishment.
It is unknown if Golden Tempo will run in the Preakness Stakes, which is scheduled for May 16. Sovereignty opted to skip the middle leg of the Triple Crown, a move that left railbirds disappointed, especially after he won the Belmont Stakes a couple of weeks later.
With Post Wires
