DeVoe’s Golden Tempo beat the odds to give jockey Jose Ortiz his first Derby victory.
Published May 3, 2026
Since the odds are against him, Golden Tempo scored an unlikely victory in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, making trainer Shelley Devaux the first woman to saddle the winner of America’s most famous horse race.
Sold out at odds of 24-1 in Saturday’s race, Golden Tempo, ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, slowly built his way to the front of an 18-horse field before cutting through traffic and making a late charge from the outside to win the Run for the Roses by a wide margin on a breezy day in Louisville, Kentucky.
In front of a crowd of 150,415, the 5-1 co-favorite Renegade, ridden by Ortiz’s younger brother Irad Ortiz Jr., took second place, and Oana Ocelli, 70-1, took third place.
Devaux cried tears of joy as he celebrated his historic achievement with his family.
Here’s what we know about DeVoe, the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.
Who is Shelley Deveau?
The 44-year-old from Saratoga Springs, New York, is a Kentucky-based thoroughbred trainer who grew up around horses and has a family history of them.
To avoid burnout as an assistant trainer, she ventured out on her own and obtained her trainer’s license in 2018. His efforts paid off, and in 2019 he achieved his first victory in just his 29th start.
Since then, she has racked up more than 300 wins, including 21 in 2026 before the Derby.
What is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is the opening round of the Triple Crown race. The next race is the Preakness Stakes on May 16th, and the series concludes with the Belmont Stakes on June 6th.
The race normally draws 20 Thoroughbreds, but Saturday was run with just 18 due to two injuries earlier in the week.
What did DeVoe say after the win?
DeVoe joins Jenna Antonucci as the second woman to train a Triple Crown race winner. She is the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Derby in its 152-year history, and the gravity of the situation was brought into focus after seeing a girl on the backstretch a few days earlier and realizing the impact she was having.
“It’s such an honor to be able to be someone that other women and little girls can look up to,” DeVoe said. “You can dream big and you can change direction. You can come from one place and be part of history.”
After making history, DeVoe was almost speechless when he said he hoped the win resonated beyond the race.
“I’m happy to represent women everywhere,” she said, crediting her husband for inspiring her to pursue her training dreams when she was at a career crossroads in 2017.
“We can do anything we set our minds to,” she said.
Deveau credits her toughness to growing up with seven brothers and two sisters. Eight years after starting her own stable, after winning the Derby on her first try, she thanked her husband for giving her the chance.
“I couldn’t believe it,” DeVoe said. “I started my career here 22 years ago as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed exercise rider, and I couldn’t believe I’d be sitting here today. I never thought I’d sit down once in my life.”
