After a late run on the outside in the stretch at Churchill Downs, Golden Tempo has won the Kentucky Derby – making trainer Cherie Devaux the first female trainer to win ‘The Run for the Roses’.
Golden Tempo, which arrived at the gate at 23-1 odds, overcame a massive distance to catch up to, then overtake, the pack to beat out morning favorite Renegade by a nose.
Renegade came second, marking the eighth straight year that the morning favorite failed to win the most famous run in American horse racing.
Ocelli, which entered the starting gate at 70-1 odds, finished third while Chief Wallabee came fourth.
Jockey Jose Ortiz, who won the Kentucky Oaks the night before, was dead last at the final turn and managed to guide the horse to victory.
The 152nd edition of the historic race was run with only 18 horses instead of the maximum 20 after The Puma and Great White were scratched from the lineup at the last minute.
Golden Tempo, which entered the starting gate at 23-1 odds, has won the Kentucky Derby
The win makes Cherie Devaux the first woman trainer to ever win the ‘Run for the Roses’
Churchill Downs officials announced on Saturday morning that The Puma was out because of a swollen leg from a skin infection.
He was ruled out less than 12 hours before the 6:57pm ET post time, past the deadline for Corona de Oro to draw into the field off the also-eligible list.
The horse, who is trained by Gustavo Delgado Sr. and son Gustavo Delgado Jr., opened at odds of 10-1 and was bet down to 8-1 by Friday.
Then, on the walk to the starting gate, Great White lost control and flipped over – throwing jockey Alex Achard from his saddle.
Great White – who entered the field after Silent Tactic was scratched – was examined on-track by veterinarians.
Eventually, the decision was made to take the saddle off the horse – denying Achard his Kentucky Derby debut.
The scratching of Great White further delayed the start of the race. After displaying a post time of 6:57pm ET, the gates did not open until 7:08pm ET.Â
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