On Saturday, May 2nd, the 152nd Kentucky Derby and Oaks took place. During the derby Saturday, history was made as trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first-ever female trainer to win the “Run for Roses”.
Golden Tempo
Golden Tempo, the winning horse, and his jockey, Jose Ortiz, have been together for Golden Tempo’s racing career; no other jockey has ridden Golden Tempo, which is what makes his win even more special. Jose Ortiz tried 10 times to win and finally succeeded on his 11th try. Ortiz raced alongside his brother Irad Ortiz and crossed the finish line just before Irad and his horse, Renegade. They shared excitement as they raced side by side just before Jose and Golden Tempo ran ahead to win.
152nd Kentucky Derby Winner
There were multiple scratches from the derby, including The Puma, Silent Tactic, Great White, Fulleffort, and Right to Party. This left the racers with 18 horses running. Straight out of the starting gate, Golden Tempo was at the back and trailed until he broke through the gaps and broke through to the front of the race. Golden Tempo was showered in roses and named the 152nd Kentucky Derby Winner.
152nd Kentucky Oaks
On Friday, May 1st, the 152nd Kentucky Oaks took place, where the female horses race. The winning horse was Always a Runner, ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz and trained by Chad Brown. Ortiz also won the derby; he swept his competition, taking home first place in both races.
Always a Runner
Last fall, Always a Runner had pneumonia, making it hard to dictate whether she’d be able to race or not. After she went through 5 months of treatment, she recovered and began her racing career in February. Always a Runner raced to the front and crossed the finish line, getting showered in roses and named the 152nd Kentucky Oaks Winner.
Jose Ortiz
That weekend became a huge success for Jose Ortiz as he made history by winning both races. Lastly, a win that will go down in the history books: Cherie DeVaux, the first female trainer to ever win a derby.