Golden Tempo’s rally from the back of the field to win Saturday’s Kentucky Derby helped produce the largest television audience the race has seen, based on ratings NBC released Sunday.
The race at Churchill Downs averaged 19.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. During the final stretch, the audience reached about 24.4 million viewers. NBC said both totals were the highest for its Derby broadcast.
That was above last year’s race, when Sovereignty’s win drew an average of about 17.7 million viewers and peaked near 21.8 million.
Viewers who tuned in saw a dramatic finish. Golden Tempo entered the Derby at 23-1 odds and was near the back of the pack heading into the final turn. The horse still had plenty of ground to make up when the stretch began, then made a wide move on the outside and charged past the field before the line. In less than a minute, Golden Tempo had gone from 18th place to first.
Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to the victory. Renegade finished second, and Ocelli came in third.
The result also marked a first for the event. Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
Speaking after the race, DeVaux said she was overwhelmed and praised Ortiz for the ride. She said he never lost confidence in the horse even when Golden Tempo was far behind for much of the race.
DeVaux later said she was glad the moment could inspire women and young girls interested in racing or other goals.
Ortiz added another major win to his weekend. On Friday, he also captured the Kentucky Oaks aboard Always a Runner. Winning both races on back-to-back days is uncommon.
There was also a family storyline in the finish. Renegade, the runner-up, was ridden by Ortiz’s brother, Irad Ortiz Jr. Jose Ortiz said after the race that he understood how much the Derby means to every jockey, including his brother, but this time the win went his way.
This year’s Kentucky Derby purse was $5 million. Golden Tempo’s owners and connections received $3.1 million for first place. Renegade earned $1 million for finishing second. Ocelli collected $500,000 for third. Chief Wallabee received $250,000, while Danon Bourbon earned $150,000 for fifth place.
Attention now turns to the Preakness Stakes, scheduled for two weeks after the Derby. DeVaux did not commit Golden Tempo to that race and said the team would first evaluate how the horse recovers.
The Triple Crown path remains uncertain. Two of the last four Derby winners did not continue on to the Preakness. The most recent horse to win all three Triple Crown races was Justify in 2018.
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