What we're watching
• History made at the Kentucky Derby: It’s a historic day at Churchill Downs as Cherie DeVaux becomes the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby as Golden Tempo wins the 152nd edition of the famous race.
• Golden Tempo overcomes the odds: The horse was a 24-1 underdog in the moments before the race and made a huge kick down the stretch to cross the line first.
• Pre-race favorite finishes second: Renegade was favored to win the race ahead of Derby Day but had a tough starting position. He ran a strong race and pushed Golden Tempo to the very end, finishing just a neck behind the Derby champion. Ocelli, who was was added to the field after other horses scratched, took third.
Golden Tempo's Kentucky Derby win is full of incredible storylines that will echo in race lore
And that’s a wrap on our live coverage of this year’s Kentucky Derby, a history-making affair on top of the usual glamour and pageantry that the annual run for the roses entails.
It’s a result that’s full of storylines.
Cherie DeVaux is the first female trainer to ever win the Kentucky Derby and just the second woman to ever train a horse that’s won a Triple Crown race.
Jockey José Ortiz pulls off a historic double of winning the Kentucky Derby and Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, beats his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. in the final moments to get past the pre-race favorite, Renegade, and caps off a hugely successful weekend in Louisville for the Puerto Rican jockey.
And then there’s Golden Tempo himself.
The thoroughbred was a 24-1 underdog before the race began and after three-quarters of a mile sat in dead last. Nineteen out of 19 horses.
But when the time came to make history, Golden Tempo kicked into gear and – guided by Ortiz – weaved through the field before eventually overtaking Renegade and the rest of the pack in the final moments of the race.
He won, officially, by a neck – a finish that will go down in Derby lore as one of the most thrilling in race history.
No decision yet on whether Golden Tempo will run in the Preakness
The question now for Cherie DeVaux and the rest of Golden Tempo’s team: Will he run the Preakness?
TBD.
The sport’s Triple Crown is an aggressive schedule of three big races in a little more than a month – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York.
It’s a rare thing for a horse to win all of those races – there was a long drought between Affirmed pulling of the accomplishment in 1978 and then American Pharoah winning the three famous races in 2015. Justify did it in 2018, but no horse has seriously challenged for the Triple Crown since.
It’s a difficult decision for trainers to make because the Preakness comes in two weeks and the horses that run in the Derby need time to recover before racing again. DeVaux said Golden Tempo will make the decision for the team.
“We’re gonna let him decide that. We’re gonna see how he looks tomorrow, and subsequently the next couple weeks, or, you know, next couple days, but we’re gonna have to allow him to tell us, you know?” she said. “Because the horse is first, we’re not here for ourselves and right here for our egos. We’re here for the horse.”
Cherie DeVaux happy to not have to answer any more questions about making history
Cherie DeVaux had a simple reaction when she finally had time to process becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” she said.
That answer got cheers from her team in the crowded media room at Churchill Downs, not least of all from the horse’s owner, Daisy Phipps Pulito.
“Cherie and I have known each other for a number of years. Her husband’s a good friend of mine,” Phipps Pulito said. “I’ve been watching the way she trains. She’s in Kentucky. I live in Kentucky, and I love the way she works with horses. I love the way she develops a horse … and we thought Golden Tempo would be a great match.”
Golden Tempo's team not surprised by his come-from-behind kick
Cherie DeVaux wasn’t surprised by Golden Tempo’s incredible come-from-behind victory, even if the rest of the sports world is still processing the last-to-first sprint down the stretch.
That’s how he runs. So it’s not like we really did anything different that he hadn’t done in his previous starts,” DeVaux said of Golden Tempo. “You know, there was a lot of speed on tap, on paper, and that materialized.”
As José Ortiz, Golden Tempo’s jockey, maneuvered their way through the crowded field on the home stretch it finally dawned on DeVaux – her horse was going to win.
“And, you know, I watched Jose come up and get himself in position going into the final turn, and about the 3/16 pole, I thought we’re probably gonna win this,” she said.
“And then I really kind of blacked out after that.”
Jockey José Ortiz becomes the ninth jockey to do the Kentucky Oaks and Derby double
José Ortiz has a bit more history to add to Golden Tempo’s win on Saturday.
With the victory in the Kentucky Derby, Ortiz becomes the ninth jockey ever to pull off the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby double. Ortiz won the Oaks on Friday atop Always a Runner.
It was his second time winning the Oaks, after winning the day-before-the-Derby race in 2019 as well.
“To get the double is very hard, and – they were joking inside the room today … it’s not impossible. I mean, just very happy,” he told NBC.
Cherie DeVaux thanks her husband for believing in her after historic win
Cherie DeVaux is now among the names etched in horse-racing history after Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
She said she wouldn’t have been in position to accomplish the historic feat without the support of her husband, David Ingordo.
“In the summer of 2017, I was kind of at a crossroads in life, and he told me that I owed it to myself to at least try, and he had the faith in me, and he saw what I didn’t see and believed in me,” DeVaux told NBC,
Ingordo is a mover and shaker in Kentucky horse racing, helping owners purchase promising thoroughbreds who can go on to win prominent races such as the Derby.
Watch Golden Tempo go from last to Derby champion
Truly an incredible result for Golden Tempo, given that the horse was in dead last going into the final turn.
Watch the incredible comeback here:
Why some owners are willing to spend millions for a Derby win
The back wall of Bob Baffert’s office at Churchill Downs is entirely covered by a custom-made print, created by his wife Jill as she remodels his on-track digs.
In it, American Pharoah and Justify are neck-and-neck, as if crossing a finish line in a match race for the ages. It never happened, of course. Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015, breaking a then 37-year-old hex that created a near cathartic roar at Belmont Park. Three years later, Justify took his run for glory, again winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.
Baffert trained them both and is one of only two trainers to lead two horses to the elusive Triple Crown.
Which is to say the Hall of Fame trainer knows a good horse when he sees him, not just in his conformation but in his presence. On a recent spring afternoon, Baffert went to his California barn to visit a newly acquired colt. The horse had just galloped for him at Santa Anita, confirming what the trainer saw the first time he spied him – that he was a true athlete with all the physical tools to do something magical.
But back at the stall, Baffert saw something else. The horse practically stared the trainer in the eye, conveying a message that Baffert immediately interpreted.
“It’s like he knows he’s a bad ass,’’ Baffert told CNN Sports this week while hanging in his office on the backside of Churchill Downs. “The great ones, they know. They know they’re bad asses.’’
Here are the top 3 finishers in the Kentucky Derby
Here are the top three from this neck-and-neck finish in the Kentucky Derby:
- Golden Tempo
- Renegade
- Ocelli
Jockey José Ortiz had to overcome his brother and Renegade to win the Derby
There are tears all over Churchill Downs, especially from jockey José Ortiz who had to overcome his own brother to win the race atop Golden Tempo.
Irad Ortiz Jr. was atop Renegade, who ran a strong race despite being in the tough first position in the starting gate along the rail.
José Ortiz eventually had to run down his brother and Renegade to get Golden Tempo across the finish line.
“I want him to win the Derby. Of course, I know that’s his dream as well, but you know it happened that way. I think he should be happy. His horse run a very good race,” José Ortiz said. “He’s a very nice horse. But, you know, it was my year, and today is my day, just Golden Tempo’s day. And I’m happy for Cherie, for the ownership.”
José Ortiz said the moment was a dream come true.
“This is the biggest race in the world for me, and I’m just blessed. I get to ride almost every year, but get to win here, and it’s just special to have my mom and my dad here today. It’s very special. Just wish my grandpa was here, but … it’s just amazing experience. I can’t wait to see my family and celebrate.”
Cherie DeVaux overwhelmed by her horse's history-making run
Cherie DeVaux is in tears after Golden Tempo crosses the finish line first, surrounded by her family who can’t quite seem to believe what they just saw.
“I honestly don’t know,” DeVaux told NBC when asked what the moment means to her. “I’m just I’m glad that I could be a representative of all women everywhere, that we can do anything to set our minds to.”
She becomes the second female trainer to ever win a Triple Crown race, joining Jena Antonucci in horse racing history.
History made as Golden Tempo crosses the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby
Golden Tempo crosses the finish line first and makes history as Cherie DeVaux becomes the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby!
It’s an incredible finish as Golden Tempo comes from so far back down the stretch to cross the finish line first. The horse was a 24-1 underdog in the moments before the race.
Huge emotion from Cherie DeVaux and her family as the moment sinks in.
The Kentucky Derby is underway!
And, after that short delay, they’re off!
Nineteen horses are sprinting around the track at Churchill Downs, looking to become the 152nd winner of the Kentucky Derby.
Stay tuned and we’ll have who crossed the finish line first after the fastest two minutes in sports.
Great White flips over before getting into the starting gate, scratched from race
Incredibly shocking moment in the run-up to the race as Great White is scratched.
The massive horse – the biggest in the race – reared up as he was being led to the starting gate and flipped over backward, tossing his jockey Alex Achard to the ground. Achard appears to be unharmed, but Great White is being led off the track to make sure he’s OK.
Groans from the crowd as the news is announced. The start of the race appears to be delayed now as the staff at Churchill Downs resets.
Last-second odds moving wildly before race begins
The last-second bets on Renegade, So Happy, Chief Wallabee and Further Ado are really creating another race for the official title of “favorite” in this race.
Renegade was the pre-race day favorite but his position in the 1 spot in the starting gate had knocked him down a bit today. He’s back near the top today.
It’s a wide-open field – all of those four horses could end up being considered the favorites today.
The horses are going into the gates two-by-two now.
Horses heading for the starting gate as Derby nears
“My Old Kentucky Home” has been sung and the horses and their jockeys are moving to the starting gate now.
The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby is just moments away!
Last-minute odds for the Kentucky Derby
Last-minute odds ahead of the 152nd Kentucky Derby are here:
- Commandment: 5-1
- So Happy: 5-1
- Renegade: 6-1
- Further Ado: 6-1
- Chief Wallabee: 6-1
- Emerging Market: 8-1
- Danon Bourbon: 14-1
- Potente: 17-1
- Great White: 21-1
- Golden Tempo: 24-1
- Wonder Dean: 26-1
- Incredibolt: 27-1
- Litmus Test: 27-1
- Six Speed: 39-1
- Albus: 47-1
- Pavlovian: 51-1
- Intrepido: 51-1
- Robusta: 73-1
- Oceilli: 75-1
The beauty of Churchill Downs' backside
If you’ve never been to a horse race, a recommendation: Take a day to either visit or tour the backside.
It’s worth it, offering a glimpse into the real world and the real people who toil in relative obscurity to make the best two minutes in sports happen. There are no fine hats or seersucker here; just dusty boots and blue jeans, the million-dollar trainers no fancier than their workers.
This is where you’ll find the exercise riders, grooms and hot walkers, as well as the people who lovingly bathe and graze the horses and live in the small apartments above the barns. It is an entire community unto itself, replete with a track kitchen – the biscuits and gravy at Churchill are especially good – and a church, with washing machines sitting out in the open to launder the horse’s towels and saddlecloths, and bicycles leaning against barn doors as a means to travel.
Horses peek out from their stalls, a would-be Derby winner sharing space with an anonymous claiming horse. Last year, every single day on the backside one horse stood in his stall, nodding his head as if he were wearing headphones and dancing to his own beat.
In the days leading up to the Derby, you can also watch the horses work (in other words, practice) from the backside. It’s an awesome sight – the sun just coming up over the twin spires.
Workouts usually begin around 7 each morning and run at most 20 minutes. Just how much the horses exert themselves is up to the trainer and the day. This is how the handicappers pick their winners, relying on the clockers (stopwatch-armed horsemen who time a horse’s workout) and their eyeballs to see who they like and don’t like.
It’s also just an amazing chance to sit still and watch their magnificence as they breeze by in a quiet so overwhelming that you can actually hear the animals breathe and short as they race by.
Japan's search for a Kentucky Derby winner starts in the isolation barn
The jockeys and trainers ducked through a gap in the chain-linked fence, exiting Barn 17 to talk about their horses.
The so-called isolation barn, where Japanese-bred horses are kept separate from the general population, sounds a lot more ominous than it is. Though both the USDA and Kentucky regulators have strict rules about quarantining animals upon arrival, the horses are free to work on the track in the mornings, and the dilapidated fence strung about the barn is far from impenetrable.
It’s been a popular spot in recent years at Churchill Downs. With Danon Bourbon and Wonder Dean in the field, this will mark the fourth consecutive year that at least one Japanese horse will contend for the Kentucky Derby. The country is still in search of its first winner but walk around the track long enough and you’re bound to hear some version of the same refrain: “A Japanese horse will win the Derby eventually.’’
Japan’s fascination with horse racing and more, the Derby, can be traced directly back to Sunday Silence. In 1989, the thoroughbred won the first two legs of the Triple Crown and though he failed to capture the Belmont, also won the Breeders’ Cup to earn 3-year-old Horse of the Year honors.
But he attracted few interested parties when it came to breeding rights in the U.S. and instead went to Japan. He wound up becoming the country’s top sire, helping grow the sport there.
In 1996, Ski Captain became the first Japanese-based horse to enter the Derby starting gate and since then 10 more have tried their luck, buoyed by the addition of the International Road to the Derby, which creates a clearer points-based path to the first Saturday in May. Still victory remains elusive, with Forever Young’s third-place finish in 2024 - in a three-horse photo finish- remaining the high-water mark.
Of the two entrants, Danon Bourbon is getting the most attention. He is 3-for-3 in starts this year, winning by a combined 18 ½ lengths.
‘Go big or go home’: Iconic fashion behind the Kentucky Derby
These boutique owners create and sell hats for Kentucky Derby spectators, which they say takes months of planning and staying on top of trends. The business owners open up about the design process.
