Golden Tempo wins 2026 Kentucky Derby

Golden Tempo caught up 152nd Kentucky Derby Saturday was a historic first for female coaches.

The 3-year-old bay thoroughbred charged through the final stretch of the 1 1/8-mile race to give trainer Cherie DeVaux her first Triple Crown race victory. She became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and the second female trainer to win the Triple Crown race.

“I don’t even have words to say right now,” an emotional DeVaux said on the NBC broadcast after upsetting the race to tackle early favorite Renegade.

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Jockey Jose Ortiz won the derby for the first time in his career. It was his 11th attempt and he beat his brother Irad, riding the Todd Pletcher-trained colt.

Renegade became the first Derby winner in almost four decades to be ranked No. 1 inside after being pulled out of the group in the final stretch, but it was not enough to overcome Golden Tempo in the final strides.

“This was not the path we would have chosen,” Pletcher said before the race, foreshadowing the outcome. “It’s not ideal, but it’s what we have and we’re going to do the best we can with it.”

The field was reduced to 19 players instead of the maximum of 20 after Puma were scratched with a skin infection on Saturday morning. He was eliminated after the deadline for substitutions passed, leaving Corona de Ora out of the field.

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Quiet Tactics, Full Effort, and Right to Party have been deleted in the last four days but have been replaced by Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta.

But just before race time, the field was further reduced to 18 due to the field being scratched after a Great White flipped while the others were loading.

Track conditions were much better this year, unlike last year, when Sovereignty crossed the finish line covered in mud following rain at Churchill Downs. Track conditions were brisk for the historic race venue, visibility was good, and there was low precipitation just an hour before race time.

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However, the weather was much colder than in previous years, with 54 degrees just an hour before race time. according to FOX Forecast Center, The average high temperature in Louisville this time of year is 74 degrees.

According to the data received National Weather Service in Louisville, The coldest Derby Day on record was May 4, 1940, and May 4, 1957, when temperatures reached 36 degrees and were accompanied by winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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