History was made Saturday at Churchill Downs when Golden Tempo rallied from last place to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby, making Cheri Devaux the first female trainer to win the “Run for the Roses.”
With the win, Devaux became the first woman to be a Derby winner. She joins Jenna Antonucci as the only women to train a Triple Crown race winner.
Golden Tempo entered the race a 23-1 longshot. Inspired by the great Curlin, the colt had previously shown promise with a win in the Lecomte Stakes and a third-place finish in the Fair Grounds.
Renegade, the morning favorite at 4-1, also tried to make history by becoming the first horse to win from the inside gate in 40 years. At the midpoint of the race, Renegade was trailing significantly and was 15 lengths behind the leaders.
The closing stages turned into a family feud between the Jockey brothers, with Irad Ortiz facing Jose Ortiz.
The event in 1989 was the coldest Kentucky Derby in 37 years. The start was delayed because the horse Great White threw his jockey and rolled while approaching the gate.
Due to the incident, the Great White was scratched at the last minute, forcing officials to completely unload and reload the starting gate. Saturday’s race served as the opening leg of the prestigious Triple Crown.
The second leg, the Preakness Stakes, is scheduled for Saturday, May 16. In a major deviation from tradition, the Preakness will be held at Laurel Park instead of Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse, which is currently undergoing a $400 million renovation.
