#GoldenTempo is the hashtag for the 23-1 long shot who won the 2026 Kentucky Derby with a last-to-first stretch run on May 2, 2026 — a result that also made trainer #CherieDeVaux the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
What Happened
Golden Tempo broke from the gate at the rear of the 152nd Run for the Roses and stayed there for most of the race, sitting in 18th place at one point in the field. In the stretch, jockey Jose Ortiz guided the colt up the outside, picking off rivals through the lane and overtaking co-favorite Renegade at the wire. Ocelli finished third. At 23-1, Golden Tempo’s victory ranked among the longest-odds Derby wins in recent memory.
Cast & Creators
- Trainer: Cherie DeVaux — born in Saratoga Springs, New York, who worked under trainers Chuck Simon and Chad Brown before launching her own stable in 2018. With this win, DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and the second woman to win any Triple Crown race.
- Jockey: Jose Ortiz — credited with patiently saving ground before unleashing the late closing kick.
- Horse: Golden Tempo — a three-year-old thoroughbred whose late-running style had pointed him toward a deep, fast Derby pace.
Reactions
DeVaux’s post-race comments — “I’m glad that I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to” — were widely circulated as the win was framed less around the horse’s odds and more around the historic trainer milestone. National outlets, sports broadcasters, and women-in-sport organizations leaned into the moment, and the result drew significant cross-over coverage on outlets that typically pay limited attention to horse racing.
Aftermath
The victory immediately reset expectations for the rest of the 2026 Triple Crown season, with DeVaux’s stable becoming a focal point heading into the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Golden Tempo’s late-running profile also fueled ongoing debate about Derby pace dynamics in 20-horse fields and how often closers in the back third of the pack can survive that traffic.
Cultural Impact
Beyond the racing press, the hashtag served as the shorthand for one of the most-shared U.S. sports moments of early May. It anchored a broader conversation about women in horse racing’s training ranks, the long-standing rarity of female trainers in Triple Crown winner’s circles, and how Golden Tempo’s result might reshape ownership and trainer-selection decisions for high-end racing operations.
Variations & Related Tags
The hashtag circulates alongside #CherieDeVaux, #KentuckyDerby2026, #RunOfTheRoses, and the evergreen #HorseRacing family.
Sources
- https://sports.yahoo.com/horse-racing/live/kentucky-derby-2026-results-golden-tempo-a-23-1-long-shot-runs-from-last-place-to-victory-as-cherie-devaux-becomes-first-female-trainer-to-win-130000647.html
- https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/horse-racing/live-blog/kentucky-derby-2026-live-updates-rcna341955
- https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5808929/golden-tempo-kentucky-derby-winner-cherie-devaux
- https://www.foxnews.com/sports/cherie-devaux-reflects-making-kentucky-derby-history-first-female-trainer-win-race
- https://sports.yahoo.com/horse-racing/article/kentucky-derby-2026-watch-cherie-devaux-react-to-golden-tempos-mad-dash-to-win-the-race-170552837.html