Cherie DeVaux Makes History as First Female Trainer to Win Kentucky Derby as Golden Tempo Races to Thrilling Victory
Cherie DeVaux; Jockey Jose Ortiz with Golden Tempo. Credit: Rob Carr/Getty; Andy Lyons/Getty NEED TO KNOW Cherie DeVaux has made history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner DeVaux, jockey Jose Ortiz and Golden Tempo took home the coveted first-place prize with a time of 2:02. 27 in the 1 1/4-mile race on Saturday, May 2 "I'm just glad I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to," DeVaux said after her historic win Cherie DeVaux has made history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner after her horse Golden Tempo took home the coveted first-place prize.
DeVaux, 44, was photographed trackside in her bright red blazer at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, May 2, after Golden Tempo's triumphant win at odds of 23-1. "I honestly don't know," DeVaux said as she was interviewed by NBC and asked what the win meant to her. "I'm just glad I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to.
" Golden Tempo's victory at the 152nd Run for the Roses also marked the first win for jockey Jose Ortiz, who guided the horse to a 2:02. 27 finish in the 1 1/4-mile race. It also marks a win for Ortiz, 32, at every Triple Crown event, as he previously won the Belmont Stakes in 2017 with Tapwrit and the Preakness with Early Voting in 2022, per the Louisville Courier Journal .
Renegade came in second place, with Ortiz's brother Irad Ortiz Jr. jockeying, and long shot Ocelli placed third. Cherie DeVaux speaks with reporters after Golden Tempo's win at the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026 Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty "I don't even have any words right now," DeVaux added through tears, per NPR and the Louisville Courier Journal , as she held her nephew, Maverick, and was surrounded by more family members.
"I just can't. Just so, so so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there.