Golden Tempo, Trained by Cherie Devaux, Wins 2026 Kentucky Derby - Brother Jockeys Finish First and Second

  The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby was one for the record books today.  It was the first time a female trainer won the Derby.  It was the first time two brothers finished in first and second places.  It was an amazing day.
  The morning started with a full field of 20 entries - then The Puma was scratched due to a skin infection that caused his leg to swell, leaving 19 runners.   Three of those entries were from the "also eligible" list.  
  There were 150,415 people in attendence for  the Derby - not counting track employees, workers on the backside, employees in the public areas, plus trainers and jockeys for all of the day's racing.
  The Post Parade for the Derby and the warm-up went without a hitch.  But during the starting gate loading process, Great White, the first colt to draw into the field due to the scratch of Silent Tactic, reared up and crashed to the ground.  His jockey had bailed from the saddle, and was not trapped by the colt, who rolled onto his back, and then completely over, jumping to his feet quickly.  While the track veterinary team checked Great White out, the horses already in the starting gate were unloaded and walked.While the colt did not appear to have suffered any damage, the vet team decided to scratch him.  So the horses then re-loaded into the starting gate, with a field of 18.
   The times for the 12 furlong (1 and a 1/4 mile) race were: the first quarter - 22.68 seconds; half-mile - 46.44 seconds; 3/4 mile - 1:10.90; one mile - 1:36.45; and the finish line was crossed in 2 minutes 2.27 seconds.  Golden Tempo was in last place through the first two turns.  He was 13th out of 18 at the top of the stretch.  His jockey, Jose Oriz, 32, angled him out wide at the top of the stretch, and asked him to  run.
  Golden Tempo responded with a strong drive, picking up and passing other horses all the way to the finish line, where he was being challenged, at the end, by Renegade, the early betting favorite.  Renegade, ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Jose's older brother, couldn't get past the bay son of Curlin...
  Golden Tempo won by a neck; Renegade was 3/4 length ahead of Ocelli (another "also eligible" colt), who finished 2 lengths before Chief Wallabee, in fourth; Danon Bourbonfinished in fifth place.  At race time, Golden Tempo was at odds  of 23 to 1; Renegade was at 5 to 1; and Ocelli was at 70 to 1 odds.
                               Golden Tempo (nearest the camera) wins the 152nd Kentucky Derby
                               with Renegade running second.  NBC News photo.

  The payouts for a $2 bet were: Golden Tempo to win, $48.24; Renegade to place, $7.14; Ocelli to show, $36.34.  A correct $2 exacta paid $278.86; a correct $2 trifecta paid $22,501.56; and a correct $ superfecta  paid $188,979.90.
   Winnings from the Kentucky Derby purse were distributed between the top five finishers.  Golden Tempo won $3,100,000; Renegade won $1,000,000 for second; Ocelli won $500,000 for third; Chief Wallabee won $250,000 for fourth; and Danon Bourbon took home $150,000 for fifth place.
   Here is the full order of finish:  1- Golden Tempo (neck); 2 - Renegade (3/4 length); 3 - Ocelli (2 lengths); 4 - Chief Wallabee; 5 - Danon Bourbon; 6 - Incredibolt; 7 - Commandment; 8 - Wonder Dean (JPN); 9 - So Happy; 10 - Emerging Market; 11 - Further Ado; 12 - Potente; 13 - Six Speed; 14 - Robusta; 15 - Albus; 16 - Intrepido; 17 - Litmus Test; 18 - Pavlovian.

  The 151st Preakness Stakes will take place in two weeks, May 16, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland.  Pimlico Race Track, the traditional and original setting of the Preakness, is undergoing renovations.  The middle jewel race of the Triple Crown is 1/16 of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby.
  The Triple Crown races were originally linked to test the greatness of the three-year-old Thoroughbred race horses.  Beginning on the first Saturday in May with the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky; followed by a slightly shorter race (1 3/16 mile) in another state, Maryland; and then the third race being 1 1/2 miles only 3 weeks later, and in another state, New York.  It is a tough program of racing, and it has winnowed the really great race horses down to a few true champions through the years.  This is why the old-fashioned purists of thoroughbred racing want to keep the Triple Crown races as they have been in the past.  - Many others want to change the entire make-up of the Triple Crown - the dates and the lengths of the races, as well as where they are run. -  I take my stand with the historical purists....

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