The gates crashed open and the thunder began. But for one horse and one rider, the world seemed to stop before it even started.
Golden Tempo sat at the very back of the pack. He looked stranded and out of place. The dirt flew up and masked his face as the favorites pulled away.
Crowds in the stands were screaming for the leaders. Nobody was looking at the horse in dead last. He was invisible and he was forgotten.
But Cherie DeVaux was watching from the sidelines. She remembered the grit she learned on the Little League diamond back in Florida.
She was a girl with game who refused to back down. Now she was a woman standing on the edge of horse racing immortality.
The dirt kicked up and the noise became a deafening roar.
Jose Ortiz gripped the reins tight. He was a long way from the fields of San Juan. He knew what it felt like to be the underdog.
He waited for the gap. He waited for the moment when the others would tire. The tension was thick enough to choke the air.
The favorites began to fade as the final turn approached. That is when the invisible horse started to move like a ghost.
Golden Tempo began to weave through the wall of muscle and bone. He was picking them off one by one in a blur of speed.
The thunder of the hooves was the only sound left in the world.
He moved from the back of the pack to the middle. Then he moved to the front. The fans could not believe what they were seeing.
Cherie held her breath. This was the moment her hard work and years of dedication were supposed to pay off.
It was not just a race anymore. It was a statement to everyone who said a woman could not win the biggest prize of all.
The finish line was right there and the shadows were getting longer.
Jose pushed his mount harder than he ever had before. He could feel the heart of the horse beating against his own legs.
Right beside him was another rider. It was his brother Irad. They were both graduates of the same Little League in Puerto Rico.
They were side by side and fighting for the same piece of history. Their parents watched from the stands with their hearts in their throats.
The upset was happening in real time and the stadium was shaking.
Golden Tempo crossed the line first. He rallied all the way from last place to take the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Jose had his first Derby win. But the real history belonged to the woman standing in the winner circle with the roses.
Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer in history to win the Kentucky Derby. She turned her dreams into a reality that no one can ever take away.
The little girl from the Englewood Area Little League was now the queen of the track. She proved that dedication is the only thing that matters.
The team must now decide if the horse will go to the Preakness Stakes on May 16. For now they will just enjoy the quiet after the roar.
History does not happen often but it happened today in a matter of seconds.
