Billionaire Pushes Away 12th Failed Attempt to Tend to Emotional Jockey at Kentucky Derby
· Yahoo Sports
After Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby and trainer Cherie DeVaux made history as the first woman to win the race, the celebrations were loud on one side of the track. However, on the other side, the mood was very different. The pre-race favorite Renegade, owned by Mike Repole, finished second and missed out on the $3.1 million prize. Still, it was never just about the money. Instead, Repole was left emotional for the 33-year-old jockey, who once again missed the Derby moment.
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Just after the finish, Repole, co-founder of Glaceau and worth an estimated $1.6 to $2.5 billion, was visibly emotional after what marked his 12th Kentucky Derby attempt, ending in disappointment. Even then, he stepped in to console the jockey. Looking back on the moment, he said, “I’m actually more upset that Irad lost than I am for me. That kid rode his ass off. He’s so incredible. He’s going to beat up his brother tonight, we might both do it.”
For context, Irad Ortiz Jr is one of the most successful riders in the sport, with 4,500+ career wins, five Eclipse Awards, Belmont Stakes victories twice, and more than 20 Breeders’ Cup wins, along with nearly $400 million in earnings. Yet the Kentucky Derby continues to be the one race that has stayed out of reach, with 10 attempts ending without a win.
If Renegade, purchased for $975,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, had won, it would have made history as the first horse in 40 years to win the Derby from the No. 1 post position. But what made the moment even more emotional was that the winning ride belonged to Jose Ortiz, Irad’s own brother.
Both being raised in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, the Ortiz brothers were raised together under the same mentor and went on to build their careers side by side. After the race, Jose, winning at his 11th attempt of the Derby, said, “I want him to win the Derby, of course. I know it’s his dream as well. But it happened that way. I think he should be happy. His horse ran a very good race. Today’s my day and Golden Tempo’s day.”
Leaving all the emotion behind, the 2026 Kentucky Derby was decided by just a neck and that tiny margin makes it more heartbreaking for Irad.
A neck in the final strides seals a brutal Kentucky Derby finish
Golden Tempo and Renegade both ran almost identical races at Churchill Downs. At the break, neither got a clean start. They were bumped early, lost position, and quickly drifted away from the front as the field settled into rhythm.
By the halfway point, the race had stretched out. The leaders had gone on, while Golden Tempo and Renegade were both buried in the second half of the 18-horse field. But from the final 200 meters, it became a straight duel. Golden Tempo and Renegade matched stride for stride, neither giving an inch.
In the last steps, Golden Tempo found just a little extra by edging his head at the line to win by a neck. With it, Golden Tempo and with Jose Ortiz clocked at 2:02.27. “I don’t even have any words,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “I just can’t. Just so so, so happy for Golden Tempo. Jose did a wonderful job, a masterful job of getting him there. He was so far out of it.” Ultimately it was an battle that was fought by timing.
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