"Firsts" for Both Cherie DeVaux and the Ortiz Brothers at the Kentucky Derby!

Now THAT was an exciting race!

They're always fun, but rarely that exciting, right?

Golden Tempo came from dead last to win it!

Congratulations to Cherie DeVaux, whose horse, Golden Tempo, making her the first female horse trainer to win a Kentucky Derby!

She's seen here with our governor, Andy Beshear, handing her the trophy (love him)!

Also, not sure many are aware, but congratulations also to the Ortiz brothers as jockeys, Jose and Irad, who came in first and second respectively, another first - the first time 2 brothers as jockeys have ever come in first and second at the Kentucky Derby!

Jose Ortiz rode winning horse, Golden Tempo, who came in first, and his brother, Irad Ortiz, rode Renegade, who came in second!

It was so cute/funny ...

So Irad on Renegade was actually trailing just a tad bit behind behind Ocelli (who came in third) - UNTIL - his brother was suddenly next to him Golden Tempo, coming up from dead last.

You can see Irad notices like "What the? Oh, it's on" - and then  suddenly they're off together, suddenly neck and neck, just like 2 brothers would do in a friendly, fun foot race as kids. 😂

But then when Jose crossed the finish line first, they did this ... 

Aw - sweet, right?

Made me tear up, actually, almost more than Cherie DeVaux winning!

Almost. 😂

Also note that they both used tiny little crops instead of whips. not even long enough to hit their boots, just hit their own thighs- Bravo, gentleman! 

So did you all bet Renegade "across the board," like I said in my prior post? 

That horse was bound to come in in the top 3 - he's the perfect combination of breeding, trainer, and jockey, and won the Arkansas Derby - you could not design a better horse or situation.

And they did try to box him in at the fence in the #1 post position,  when Renegade is actually a closer - but like I said, trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz are too seasoned and good to NOT know how to get him out of that situation, which they executed perfectly.

Irad kept him behind for a minute in order to move him to the outside and came around that way, much like Golden Tempo did,  with that decision paying off for both in the end.

Sometimes the trainers get too much credit versus the jockeys, who despite training, end up having to make split-second strategic decisions at high speed against horses they've often never raced against before, whilst also trying to keep themselves, their own horse, and the others horses safe!

Also, though jockeys are paid better than they were even 25 years ago, (when they finally created a health pool fund for injury), the best jockeys only make about $100K a year, with the most elite jockeys, regularly riding in at least one of the triple crown races (, such as the Ortiz brothers) making up to a million a year *IF* they win a triple crown race. 

To you and I, that may sounds like a lot, but understand that's ONLY if they win a triple-crown race; otherwise, it's about 100K,

And when you compare it to the multimillions the most elite trainers make with bonuses included (Baffert, Pletcher, Chad Brown), and consider how much physical risk jockeys take onin compoarison, it's not a lot, right?

So I didn't bet this time, we're a little short this weekend, waiting for my financial aid to come in for school.

Plus I've lost that old intuition I used to have, so now I pick based on other reasons. 

You can see my picks from my initial derby post this week.

I said I'd bet Renegade "across the board" (meaning to come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd) - you won't win much because he's the favorite, but you'll win.

My other 2 bets I would've made, like I said, I didn't really to win,  they would've been made out of friendship/loyalty So Happy and Pavlovian - because our friend, Doug O'Neill, trained Pavlovian, and So Happy, just because Mike Smith was the jockey and we love Mike Smith. 

Congrats to all!

Here's a video of the race from start to finish ...