Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026. (Giselle Rhoden / LPM)Golden Tempo, with 23-1 odds, sprinted from the back of the field to steal the 152nd Kentucky Derby, beating out the favorites.Jockey Jose Ortiz also found victory in Friday’s Oaks race. His brother, Irad, rode favor ite Renegade to second place for Derby.Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a Derby winner.“I’m so overwhelmed right now. I’m so proud, so proud of Golden Tempo. I’m really proud of Jose,” DeVaux said at a media briefing after the race, adding that she was grateful to Golden Tempo’s owners.DeVaux started working with horses more than two decades ago when she took a job getting them exercise.When asked how she felt that Golden Tempo was 15-20 lengths behind during part of the race, she said, “That’s how he runs. So it's not like we did anything different than his previous starts. I watched Jose come up and get himself in position going into the final turn, and about the 3/16th pole I thought, ‘We’re probably going to win this.’ And then I really kind of blacked out after that.”DeVaux said it’s been a treat training Golden Tempo and called him a “consummate professional.”“He's got a wonderful personality,” she said. “He allowed us to train him, and he responded to what we asked him to do throughout each process. You know, he improved each race. We trained him a bit hard in between, and he showed up for us every time he's done everything we've asked of him. And obviously winning the Kentucky Derby.”Ortiz, the jockey, said it’s been an unbelievable weekend that included wins at Oaks and Derby.“It’s the result of all the hard work I've put in the past 15 years. Just very happy I get to win this race,” he said.Ortiz said he’s happy for the owners, DeVaux and everyone who cares for Golden Tempo in the barn.“It takes a lot of people to win a race like this. You know, I just want to be thankful. I feel blessed to be here,” he said.And will Golden Tempo run in the Preakness Stakes on May 16?“We’re going to let him decide that,” DeVaux said, adding that they’ll see how Golden Tempo looks tomorrow and over the next few days. “The horse is first. We're not here for ourselves, we're not here for our egos. We're here for the horse.”An hour before race time, the competition was down to 19 horses after five scratches. Just as the horses got to the gate, there was a late scratch with Great White.The 152nd running of the Derby brought out thousands of attendees — many for the first time.Alysia and Barrett Jeffcoat usually have a big Derby party at their South Carolina home. This year, they decided to come see it firsthand.Alysia was having luck with small bets.“I have more money than I'm out, so that's a positive,” she said.They weren’t deterred by the gray weather and chilly temperatures during parts of the day.“I got a jacket. [Barrett’s] got a jacket. If I didn't, I'd take his,” Alysia said. “We're great.”Phillip Houston came from Baltimore to his first Derby last year to check it off his bucket list. He had such a good time, he did it again, even though he doesn’t enjoy gambling.“It's all about meeting new people, having fun and just enjoying the environment,” Houston said.Daytona Beach residents Nick and Mick Sellars were decked out as pirates, inspired by the event company they own.“We started thinking about hats and outfits, but then we were like, ‘Do we want to be like everyone else?’” Nick said. “So we decided we were going to do full pirate gear.”“That's how I live my life,” Mick said. “If you can't be yourself, be a pirate.”Nick lived in Louisville for a few years and has been to Derby before, but it was the first time for Mick. He lives in Florida, but he’s originally from Australia, where he’s been to the Melbourne Cup.“He had to experience true American racing,” Nick said. ...read more read less