R. David Shew
The sun shined bright on Churchill Downs and the state of Kentucky this past Saturday. Cherie DeVaux became the first woman in 152 years to win the Kentucky Derby, and Jose Ortiz became the ninth jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby on the first Friday and first Saturday in May respectively. And yes, Golden Tempo continued the legacy of horses born on Claiborne Farm to win the Derby.
Both Cherie and Jose names will forever be written in the Kentucky Derby history books. At the age of 44, Cherie is a young woman in the prime of her life, and Jose is just 32. Oh yeah, brothers Jose and Irad Ortiz, Jr. became the first brothers to finish first and second in the Kentucky Derby. Irad has ridden 10 thoroughbreds in the Derby and scored his best finish at second on the favorite, Renegade, on Saturday. On the other hand, lucky baby brother Jose has hit the daily double with two victories in the Kentucky Derby. Jose’s first Derby winner was in 2017 on Always Dreaming.
The owners of Golden Tempo are Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, both hailing from New York. In 1925, Gladys Mills Phipps established a relationship with Claiborne Farm, followed by son Ogden Phipps and grandson Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps who are both deceased. Today, Daisy Phipps Pulito manages the Phipps Stable. The owners of St. Elias Stable are Vincent Viola, the founder of Virto Financial, and wife Teresa.
The sire, or father, of Golden Tempo is Curlin who finished third in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. The dam, or mother, of Golden Tempo is Carrumba who is a graded stakes winner and daughter of Bernardini and granddaughter of A.P. Indy, two remarkable thoroughbred sires.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux began her thoroughbred career 22 years ago as an exercise rider at Churchill Downs. Next, Cherie worked eight years as assistant trainer for Chad Brown and six years for Chuck Simon before striking out in 2018. It took Cherie 11 months to win a race in 2019. One could say that Cherie is heading to the Hall of Fame at this time in her racing career.
Regarding the role of Claiborne Farm which is one of this writer’s favorite places in Kentucky, the following ten thoroughbreds were born on Claiborne Farm and won the Kentucky Derby: Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), Johnstown (1939), Jet Pilot (1947), Canonero II (1971), Riva Ridge (1972), Swale (1984), Ferdinand (1986), Thunder Gulch (1995), and Orb (2013).
Many thanks to Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz, Phipps Stable, St. Elias, and Claiborne Farm for making May 2, 2026 stand out in racing history and making Kentucky proud again!
