Quick Answer
Golden Tempo, a 23 to 1 longshot ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Cherie DeVaux, won the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in a final time of 2:02.27.
The victory made Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer in Kentucky Derby history to saddle a winner. Golden Tempo has since skipped the Preakness Stakes and will target the Belmont Stakes on June 6 instead.
What horse won the Kentucky Derby 2026?
The answer is Golden Tempo. He went off at 23 to 1 in a wide open 18 horse field after several pre race scratches, including the morning line second favorite Great White and the late developer The Puma. Most of the betting public was on Renegade, the morning line favorite at 4 to 1.
Instead, Golden Tempo delivered one of the most stunning closing kicks in Derby memory. Jose Ortiz settled him at the very back of the pack out of the gate, let the speed horses cook each other through brutal early splits, and then unleashed him on the far turn. The colt covered the final furlong faster than any horse in the field and won going away in front of a stunned Churchill Downs crowd.
A historic moment for the sport
The bigger story walked back to the winner's circle on her own two feet. With Golden Tempo's win, Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby. The race has been run since 1875. That is a glass ceiling that took 152 editions to break.
DeVaux is not a fringe operator who got lucky. She built her stable up over a decade, won graded stakes races across multiple circuits and developed a reputation for getting the absolute peak performance out of late maturing colts. Golden Tempo is exactly that horse, and her conditioning made the closing kick possible.
"This is for every woman who has worked in this sport without their name on the trainer line," DeVaux said after the race. Her message was sincere, brief and earned.
The Preakness shocker
The standard script after a Derby win is simple. You ship the horse to Pimlico, you run him in the Preakness two weeks later, and you chase the Triple Crown. Golden Tempo's team did not do that. They withdrew from the Preakness within days of the Derby, ending any 2026 Triple Crown talk before it could properly start.
DeVaux was unflinching about the call. "We did not feel any pressure with running Golden Tempo in the Preakness," she said. "We respect the history of the race. But ultimately, as a team, we decided we are OK bypassing the Preakness and going right to the Belmont. And we understood people would be upset about that. But we have to do what's right for the horse."
It is the modern reality of horse racing. The 14 day turnaround between the Derby and Preakness is increasingly seen as inhumane by some trainers, especially for horses that ran the kind of grueling, ground losing trip Golden Tempo ran on the first Saturday in May. There has not been a Triple Crown winner since Justify in 2018, and the trend of skipping the Preakness is a major reason why.
How the race actually unfolded
A few quick notes on the trip, because it was a clinic:
- The early fractions were blistering. The first quarter went in 22.4, with three horses pushing for the lead.
- Renegade, the favorite, was caught three wide in the second flight and burned too much energy on the backstretch.
- Ortiz kept Golden Tempo last for the first three quarters, then began moving outside on the turn.
- Golden Tempo passed 12 horses in the final three eighths of a mile and won by a clear length and a quarter.
What's next for Golden Tempo
Five weeks of rest, then a target run at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, 2026. The Belmont is being run for a third consecutive year at Saratoga while Belmont Park finishes its renovation, which means a shortened 1 1/4 mile distance instead of the historic 1 1/2. That is the same distance Golden Tempo just won at, on a track he will be fresh for. He will be a heavy morning line favorite.
For DeVaux, the second leg of her year is just as interesting. A second classic win in the same season would cement her into the all time conversation in less than two months.
The takeaway
The 2026 Kentucky Derby gave us a 23 to 1 stunner, one of the great closing kicks in recent memory, and a long overdue historic first for women in the sport. There will not be a Triple Crown chase this year, but the next chapter of Golden Tempo's story is already locked in for Saratoga on June 6. The horse is fresh, the trainer is on the run of her career, and the target is sitting right there.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Kentucky Derby 2026?
Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, in a winning time of 2:02.27.
Why is Golden Tempo skipping the Preakness?
Trainer Cherie DeVaux decided the 14 day turnaround was not in the horse's best interest and chose to target the Belmont Stakes instead.
Will there be a Triple Crown winner in 2026?
No. Because the Derby winner is not running in the Preakness, no horse can win the Triple Crown this year.
