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Golden Tempo captured the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, marking a historic first for the female coaches.
The 3-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred colt charged down the stretch of the 1 1/8-mile race to give trainer Cherie DeVaux her first victory in a Triple Crown race. She became the first trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and the second to win a Triple Crown race.
“I don’t even have words right now,” an emotional DeVaux said on the NBC broadcast after altering the race to overtake favorite Renegade.
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Jockey José Ortiz won the Derby for the first time in his career. It was his 11th attempt and he beat his brother Irad, who rode the Todd Pletcher-trained colt.
Renegade nearly became the first Derby winner from the No. 1 inside position in four decades after pulling away from the pack down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to dominate Golden Tempo’s final strides.
“It’s not the one we would have chosen,” Pletcher said before the race, foreshadowing its result. “It’s not ideal, but it’s what we have and we’ll do the best we can with it.”
The field was reduced to 19 instead of the maximum of 20 early Saturday morning after El Puma suffered a scratch due to a skin infection. He was ruled out after the deadline to replace him, leaving Corona de Ora off the field.
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Silent Tactic, Fulleffort and Right to Party were eliminated in the last four days, but were replaced by Great White, Ocelli and Robusta.
But just before the start of the race, the field was further narrowed to 18 after Great White was scratched after rolling over while the others were charging.
Track conditions were much better this year than last year, when Sovereignty crossed the finish line covered in mud after it poured with rain at Churchill Downs. Based on the historic race location, track conditions were fast, with good visibility and little precipitation just an hour before press time.
But the weather was much colder than in previous years, with 54 degrees just an hour before the start of the race. According to the FOX Forecast Center, The average high temperature in Louisville this time of year is 74 degrees.
According to data from the National Weather Service in Louisville, The coldest Derby Day on record was May 4, 1940 and May 4, 1957, when temperatures reached 36 degrees and were accompanied by winds of 20 to 25 mph.
