Golden Tempo Wins 2026 Kentucky Derby

By Alex Miller

The 152^nd annual running of the Kentucky Derby on 2 May 2026 saw Golden Tempo first over the finish line at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz in his first Derby victory, the 23-1 longshot edged out second place Renegade, ridden by Ortiz’ brother Irad, the 4-1 favorite.  The victory was also unusual in that Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, became the first female to train a Derby-winning horse.  Golden Tempo’s owner, Daisy Phipps Polito, is also female, though not the first to own a Derby victor.

Asteroid Golden (2 Aries) conjoins Neptune (3 Aries) and opposes (180 degrees) asteroids Jose and Vaux (5 and 6 Libra respectively), in a T-Square (1) with asteroid Swift (11 Cancer).  Neptune is the Roman version of the Greek god Poseidon, noted as the mythic creator of horses, while the asteroids involved denote the horse itself (Golden), the rider (Jose) and the trainer (Vaux, for DeVaux).  Swift, of course, refers to the primary attribute for a winning racehorse.

A preponderance of “winning” asteroids points to females as victorious on the day, such as Golden Tempo’s trainer and owner.  Asteroid Nike (23 Scorpio), named for the Greek goddess of victory, conjoins the Moon (26 Scorpio), a traditional female marker, while asteroid Victoria (13 Gemini), named for Nike’s Roman counterpart, conjoins Venus (10 Gemini), also relating to females.  In specific, asteroid TRIUMF (4 Virgo), named for an acronym of a Canadian science research facility, but acting as its phonetic match “triumph,” an unqualified success, appears conjoined asteroid Cherryh (7 Virgo), approximating trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Foaled on 7 February 2023, Golden Tempo has a remarkable birth chart, similar to prior longshot Derby winners Rich Strike (2022, at 80-1 odds) (2) and Mystik Dan (2024, at 18-1 odds).  The Sun (18 Aquarius) is conjoined by asteroid Jose (10 Aquarius) and opposes asteroids Rosa (13 Leo), Fast (24 Leo) and Pulido (25 Leo), identifying the jockey (Jose Ortiz), the winning venue (Rosa, with the Kentucky Derby commonly referred to as the “the Run for the Roses,” for the floral garland draped about the neck of the equine victor), the quality of swiftness (Fast), and the owner (Pulido, cognate to Daisy Phipps Pulito).  This polarity is part of a Grand Cross (3), with squares (90 degrees) to Uranus (15 Taurus), the planet most associated with rapidity and record-setting, and a pairing of asteroids Vaux (13 Scorpio, for trainer Cherie DeVaux) and TRIUMF (22 Scorpio). With so much of his destiny as a Kentucky Derby winner bespoke by the cosmos at his birth, astro-savvy racecourse bookies might have done well to give him better odds.

Notes:  (1) A T-Square is a dynamic pattern composed of two or more planets in opposition (180 degrees), each squared (90 degrees) a third.  It represents stress and conflict, with the fulcrum point (at the square) offering a possibility of resolution.

(2) Golden Tempo and Rich Strike are essentially cousins, both descended from grandsire Smart Strike, sire of Curlin, Golden Tempo’s sire, and Gold Strike, Rich Strike’s dam.

(3) A Grand Cross is a major pattern comprised of four or more points at roughly 90 degrees equidistant from each other; this dynamic interaction can create stress, but also prompts action and motivates growth.

Sources:  reporting from MS NOW, AP; chart data from serennu.com

Title Image Credit:  drawn by Chat GPT