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Golden Tempo clinched victory at the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday, etching its name into the annals of horse racing history.
In an exhilarating display at the 152nd Kentucky Derby, held in Louisville, Ky., Golden Tempo emerged triumphant. The horse, expertly guided by jockey Jose Ortiz and under the skilled training of Cherie DeVaux, captured the coveted first-place finish.
Cherie DeVaux’s accomplishment marks a significant milestone in the sport. According to the Associated Press, she becomes only the second female trainer to secure a win in any Triple Crown race, following Jena Antonucci’s success with Arcangelo at the 2023 Belmont Stakes. Remarkably, DeVaux achieved this feat at her very first Derby, merely eight years after founding her own stable.
Reflecting on the victory, DeVaux expressed her overwhelming joy with heartfelt simplicity: “I don’t even have any words right now. I just can’t. Just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.”
“I don’t even have any words right now,” DeVaux said. “I just can’t. Just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.”
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, the AP reported.
She’s just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby.
She started as a stable worker for trainer Chuck Simon at Saratoga and was there for six years before becoming an assistant to trainer Chad Brown, according to Keeneland.
The New York-native then got her trainer’s license in 2018 and won her first race March 29, 2019 at Gulfstream Park with Traveling.
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, according to the AP.
Ortiz also rode the winner of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, Always a Runner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.