Cherie DeVaux In The Spotlight After Kentucky Derby And Belmont Wins

Cherie DeVaux is quickly becoming a household name after her training brilliance helped Golden Tempo run to the winner’s circle in two Triple Crown races this year. Winning the Kentucky Derby is a dream come true for any Thoroughbred trainer. Capturing the Belmont Stakes is another bucket list achievement for horse racing conditioners. Winning both in the same year is quite remarkable and her achievements have written her name in the history books.

DeVaux Dealing With The Price Of Fame In A Good Way

The sport of Thoroughbred racing has many “big” days on a calendar that stretches throughout the year. The Triple Crown races get the most notoriety as they occur during the spring and are the more widely recognized events in the sport by the general public. With the focus of the world affixed to the Kentucky Derby, Devaux became the first female trainer to lead a horse to the winner’s circle in the world’s most famous race. That alone placed her on a pedestal. Coming back five weeks later and again garnering glory in the Belmont Stakes with a horse many thought was not capable has put her name in lights.

Dealing with the fame of it all has been a welcomed challenge for this New York native, but it has been a challenge nonetheless.

“The last five or six weeks has been a bit overwhelming”, says DeVaux, who took out her trainer’s license in 2018. “It has been a very humbling experience for me and I wouldn’t want it any other way, but it has also been very exhausting. In this sport there are no off days, but when you couple that with all the other commitments that go along with winning these races it quickly becomes very demanding. Making time for everything has been tough, but we have found a way and been able to keep our focus on what got us here which is hard work and maintaining a successful stable of horses.”

The DeVaux Perspective On Becoming The First Female Trainer To Win The Kentucky Derby

When Cherie Devaux saddled Golden Tempo for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, she became the nineteenth female to send a horse to the starting gates for this Run for the Roses. The previous best finish for a female trainer was 1992 when Shelly Riley sent Casual Lies out to a second-place finish behind Lil E. Tee. Huge history was made when her Tempo was Golden in the Derby, but for Cherie DeVaux, the focus should not simply be on her gender.

“I understand the significance of me being the first female trainer to win, but I think it is way more important that I am batting 1.000 in two Triple Crown races”, smiles DeVaux, who played college softball at Florida Gulf Coast University. “My goal is to be one of the best trainers in the sport, not just the best female trainer. My horses don’t care if I am a girl or a boy and I just want to be an equal with all the other hard-working trainers out there. I am not really sure why women are under represented in the sport, but I hope our achievements can perhaps inspire others to become involved.”

Golden Tempo Is The Cherry On Top Of What Has Been A Sweet Early Career

The training career for Cherie DeVaux has really taken flight in the last few years. After working as a hotwalker and assistant to Chuck Simon and Chad Brown, the now Kentucky-based DeVaux struck out on her own in 2018. Having now won just over 300 times, she has enjoyed some real highlights with victories in 30 Stakes races including a Breeders Cup Mile score (More Than Looks 2024) and conditioning the 2025 Champion Female Turf Horse in She Feels Pretty.

Fortunate to have had many good horses and having shown the ability to get them to the winner’s circle, DeVaux has created significant expectations with her hard work. Being a major player in developing Golden Tempo into the current king of the three-year old division has been one of the most rewarding aspects of her young career. The molding of this piece of clay that is a son of Curlin into a Triple Crown masterpiece he has become is a work of art she can treasure forever.

“The development of Golden Tempo into a Kentucky Derby and Belmont champion has been one of the greatest experiences of my professional life”, says DeVaux. “If you had told me back in December of last year he was a Kentucky Derby horse I would have has serios doubts. Then he won the LeComte Stakes in January in his first start at three and really began to develop as a race horse. We knew he was headed in the right direction but also understood he had to get a lot better. The goal at that time was to just get enough points to get him into the starting gates on the first Saturday in May.”

Third place finishes in both the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby provided enough points to make the field for the Kentucky Derby and DeVaux was ready to unveil her Picasso. As the Derby unfolded and Golden Tempo executed the gameplan, her dedication delivered a scintillating sculpture. After this history-making moment, the story gets better as her 23 to 1 shot that was “lucky” to win the Kentucky Derby wheels back and looks even better in his Belmont Stakes win as a somewhat dismissed 6 to 1 horse on the tote board.

“The Kentucky Derby was a fantastic race for him but more importantly I think it was an ahh-ha moment for Golden Tempo”, says DeVaux, who was a barrel racer as a teenager . “He has been a different horse since that win and I think he figured out some things about himself. He worked extremely well before the Belmont and we all had a lot of confidence going into the race. Fortunately, he ran to expectations and we feel that win offered some vindication for all of us.”

A Humble DeVaux Applauds Her Team And Jose Ortiz

The rigors of running a top-notch Thoroughbred barn can be quite challenging. As is the case in all sports, it takes a good team to achieve success. DeVaux has built a solid surrounding cast in her relatively brief time in the game. One of the key components in the Golden Tempo success story has been jockey Jose Ortiz. As the only rider that has climbed aboard for his six afternoon visits to the starting gates, Ortiz has been all of 18 carat.

“Jose and I met when he and his brother first came to the United States and began riding in New York”, says DeVaux. “We have had a great relationship and he is always my first call for riding assignments. I know we had Golden Tempo ready for both those big races, but without Jose riding I am not sure we win either. He knows the horse so well and never panics. There is going to be a big late run and he has faith in his mount and knows when to call on him.”

Another valuable part of the Golden Tempo team has been the ownership groups of the Phipps family and St. Elias Stables. Allowing DeVaux to bring this grandson of Bernardini along at the right pace has been a key to his development.

“I can’t say enough about the Golden Tempo owners”, says DeVaux. “Having clients that are on-board with our plan is critical. Each horse can be a little different and having people that are patient and cooperative is of the utmost importance. I have certain core values and beliefs with the horse always being top priority.”

Golden Tempo has now won four of six lifetime starts with two third place finishes. He has earned $4,633,000 on the track and will likely target the Travers Stakes on August 29 at Saratoga as his next major race.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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