The Kentucky Derby is a truly prestigious event, and it delivered yet again on Saturday evening. The winning horse and jockey went from last to first in a wild comeback.
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Golden Tempo, who entered the Kentucky Derby with 23-1 odds, began working through the field by splitting two other horses. Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz then passed two more on the outside before tracking down the big pack.
This is when the performance moved to another level. Golden Tempo passed nine other competitors in one fell swoop before going four-wide with the remaining horse-jockey combos. The hard-charging horse then captured the win.
FROM LAST PLACE TO KENTUCKY DERBY GLORY, WHAT A RACE FOR GOLDEN TEMPO! 🐎
📺 The 152nd Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yUIczKx4SX
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 2, 2026
"The numbers on how far he ran are going to be amazing, right," broadcaster Mike Tirico said. "Wow! And this is the pedigree of this horse.
"He has been dead last or second-to-last in almost every race he's run but made a charge like this in a moment like this. A historic moment."
The word "historic" became a prominent part of the conversation on Saturday evening, and for good reason. Golden Tempo's win marked the first time that a woman had prepped the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Cherie DeVaux is the one who pulled off the feat while working with Golden Tempo and Ortiz.
"I don't have any words right now," DeVaux said. "I'm just so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose (Ortiz) did a wonderful job, a masterful job at getting him there. He's was so far out of it, and he has had so much faith in this horse."
Ortiz enjoyed a special weekend that extended beyond winning the biggest event in horse racing. He actually pulled off "a double." He rode Always a Runner in Friday's Kentucky Oaks, and he scored the win. One day later, he won the Kentucky Derby.
"To get the double is very hard," Ortiz said. He added that other jockeys joked that only 10 guys had pulled it off.
