Who is Cherie DeVaux, the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby?
Key takeaways
- De Vaux-trained Golden Tempo beats the odds to give jockey Jose Ortiz a win in the derby for the first time.
- Renegade, the 5-1 cofavourite ridden by Ortiz’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr, finished second while 70-1 longshot Ocelli was third in front of a crowd of 150,415.
- DeVaux burst into tears of joy and celebrated with her family as the feat etched her name in history.
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De Vaux-trained Golden Tempo beats the odds to give jockey Jose Ortiz a win in the derby for the first time.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Cherie De Vaux, trainer of Golden Tempo, is the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, and she celebrates with the trophy in the winner's circle on May 2, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky. [Michael Reaves/Getty Images via AFP]By Anushe Engineer and News Agencies Published On 3 May 20263 May 2026With the odds stacked heavily against him, Golden Tempo stormed to an improbable victory at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, making trainer Cherie DeVaux the first woman to saddle the winner of the most famous horse race in the United States.
Sent off at the odds of 24-1 in the race on Saturday, Golden Tempo broke slowly under jockey Jose Ortiz and trailed the 18-horse field before threading through traffic and unleashing a late charge from the outside to claim the “Run for the Roses” by a neck on a brisk day in Louisville, Kentucky.