THE KENTUCKY DERBY: THE ORTIZ BROTHERS FIGHT OUT THE FINISH. CHERIE DE VAUX MAKES HISTORY

By Graham Potter | Sunday, May 3, 2026

When the dust had settled on a grandstand finish to the one hundred-and-fifty-second running of Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Cherie DeVaux had made history by becoming the first female trainer to win the race … jockey Joe Ortiz had become the ninth jockey to complete the Kentucky Oaks / Kentucky Derby at the two day festival of racing … and Joe Ortiz and his brother Irad Ortiz had made it a very special family celebration as they put the quinella in the frame with only a neck separating the winner Golden Tempo and the race favourite Renegade close-up in second place.

As impressive as that list of personal achievements is, it doesn’t tell anything close to the full story of the action and drama that the race itself provided from the first strides out of the gates … where it was quite a roughhouse in the first fifty metres as horses got bumped, sandwiched and cut out on both the inside and outside sections of the barrier draw positions … to the thrilling, extraordinary final strides of the race.

The winner, Golden Tempo, avoided the crush at the start and was ridden quietly early … very quietly … bringing up the rear already all of twelve lengths off the lead as the field went past the post for the first time.

He was even further back, in a different postcode, when the leaders took the field down the back straight.

Golden Tempo did start improving approaching the home turn, but he still had it all to do, although now he was close to being on the back of the race favourite Renegade, who was always likely to take him into the race if he was good enough to stay with him.

Again, there was plenty of bumping going on in the first half of the home straight and both Ortiz brothers elected to take their horses out wider on the track with the favourite Renegade, who also came from well off the speed switching across to be the widest runner.

Even then though, Renegade was brushed by a runner to his inside and reacted by running in towards that horse before being straightened again, a moment which arguably proved costly as Renegade now had Golden Tempo in his wake, and closing strongly from behind.

Golden Tempo then switched around Renegade’s heels to, in turn, become the widest runner on the track, before surging forward to join issue with the race favourite.

Both of the Ortiz ridden runners still had to get to Ocelli, who looked the likely winner inside the final 100m, but Renegade and Golden Tempo were now arriving with such momentum that they both swept past Ocelli with Golden Tempo doing the best work of all when it mattered most to snare a famous result.

The Kentucky Derby was the first leg of Triple Crown with the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to follow.