LOUISVILLE, KY – MAY 02: Golden Tempo ridden by Jose Ortiz wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Race Track on May 2, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Horsephotos)
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The 23-1 longshot Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux, ridden by Jose Ortiz and owned by the Phipps Stable, whose principal is Daisy Phipps Pulito, grittily and brilliantly upset the established order by heroically holding off Renegade to take the 152nd Kentucky Derby in the early evening of May 2. Rounding out the trifecta and then some, the 70-1 longshot Ocelli managed to beat literally every other of the several favorites in the race to show.
Golden Tempo, a very game son of Curlin, brought an historic win for the race and for the sport itself, representing the first ever victory by a horse in the care of a female trainer since the Derby’s inception in 1875. The significance of her spot in the history books of the sport was not lost on the graceful Ms. DeVaux. Throwing credit gracefully to her athletes, she said, “I’m just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job at getting him there. He was so far out of it, and he has had so much faith in this horse.”
In addition to being historic, Golden Tempo’s victory was sealed with a tight, cliffhanging run. In fact, the elated Ortiz, who had just the day before won the Kentucky Oaks, beat his equally famous brother Irad, aboard Renegade, by a neck down the stretch. The brothers’ parents were in the stands.
The thoroughgoing upset of literally every favorite save Renegade by the book-ending longshots Golden Tempo and Ocelli brought some rare payouts to the ice cold players willing to back them. The $1 trifecta paid an eye-watering $11,250.78. The 23-1 victor paid a handsome $48.24 on the nose; the 5-1 still-narrow-top-favorite Renegade paid $7.14 in place; and the big surprise colt late-entry Ocelli, at 70-1, brightened the picture in show at $36.34.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com