Cherie DeVaux makes history as first female owner to win Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo’s furious rally

Golden Tempo’s big day came with an extra bit of history.

The horse, which rallied from all the way from last place to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby, made Cherie DeVaux the first woman owner to win the Run for the Roses.

“I’m glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere,” DeVaux said after the race, “that we can do anything we set our minds to.”

With 25-1 odds at post time, Golden Tempo was far from the favorite to win it all, but using a furious rally down the stretch, the horse held off Mike Repole-owned Renegade, which came in at 5-1 odds.

Cherie DeVaux trainer of Golden Tempo #19 celebrates after becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby during the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty Images

DeVaux became just the second woman to ever win a Triple Crown race.

Jena Antonucci was the first when she won with Arcangelo at the 2023 Belmont Stakes.

Coming into the race, only 17 other women had ever owned horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby.

Now, after Saturday’s thriller at Churchill Downs, DeVaux can claim to be the first champion.

“It would be irresponsible of me to not acknowledge that what I’m doing does inadvertently make a difference, even if it’s not my intent,” DeVaux said earlier in the week, according to the Associated Press. “My brothers are a lot bigger than me, so I think that’s what shaped me.

Jockey Jose Ortiz of Golden Tempo celebrates in the winner’s circle after winning the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 02, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty Images

“I’ve had to fight and scrap and be heard so that I could survive growing up. And I understand that’s not the same for everybody.”

If Golden Tempo runs in the Preakness on May 16, DeVaux will have the chance to become the first to win that leg of the Triple Crown, too.