Golden Tempo’s Historic Victory at the 2026 Kentucky Derby

The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby took place on May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs. The race concluded with a historic and thrilling upset as Golden Tempo, a 23-1 longshot, secured the victory. Golden Tempo is a bay colt sired by Curlin out of the mare Carrumba. He was bred and is co-owned by Phipps Stable, managed by Daisy Phipps Pulito, and St. Elias Stable, owned by Vincent and Teresa Viola. Before his Derby triumph, Golden Tempo had a steadily successful three-year-old season, winning the Lecomte Stakes and placing third in both the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby.The win marked a monumental milestone in horse racing history, as Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux started her independent stable in 2018 and has now won the prestigious race with her very first Derby entrant. The victory also marked the first Kentucky Derby win for jockey José Ortiz, who completed a rare weekend sweep after also winning the Kentucky Oaks the previous day.The 2026 Kentucky Derby began with a reduced field of 18 horses after late scratches from The Puma and Great White, the latter having rolled onto his back and thrown his jockey right before the start. Run over a fast track under partly cloudy skies and 54-degree weather, the race unfolded in front of 150,415 attendees. Golden Tempo settled into dead last early on, trailing far behind the leaders. Entering the final turn, he was still buried in 13th place. Guided by Ortiz, Golden Tempo moved to the outside and unleashed a blistering late charge down the final stretch, weaving past the rest of the tightly packed field. He overtook the 5-1 co-favorite, Renegade, in the final moments to win by a neck, finishing the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.27.Renegade, ridden by José's brother Irad Ortiz Jr., finished second, while the 70-1 longshot Ocelli took third place. Chief Wallabee finished fourth. The victory earned Golden Tempo's owners $3.1 million of the race's $5 million purse, bringing the colt's career earnings to $3,433,000. Jockey José Ortiz earned a $310,000 share for the win. For bettors, a $2 win ticket on Golden Tempo paid out a handsome $48.24.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/champions-network--6884663/support.