Cherie DeVaux reflects on making Kentucky Derby history as first female trainer to win the race

Cherie DeVaux made past erstwhile Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby astatine the opening of May, becoming the archetypal pistillate trainer to triumph the archetypal limb of the Triple Crown.

DeVaux, 44, said that portion she ne'er made her sex portion of her individuality arsenic a equine trainer, it was the 1 happening she wanted to bash arsenic a female.

"It was the 1 happening arsenic a pistillate I wanted to bash conscionable origin I thought it would beryllium – it’s a neat benchmark. There are 151 runnings with each men and past it’s me," DeVaux told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

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Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Golden Tempo, celebrates with the trophy successful the winner's ellipse aft the 152nd Kentucky Derby astatine Churchill Downs successful Louisville, Kentucky, connected May 2, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

"I person ne'er made a basal that my sex was portion of my individuality arsenic a trainer. I americium a equine trainer. We each enactment truly hard, male, female. So it wasn't connected the heels of being a female."

For DeVaux, she was blessed that the speech astir a pistillate winning the Kentucky Derby could yet determination on.

"I really was getting a spot – I don’t privation to accidental bushed successful a atrocious way, but that question kept coming up, and it's similar it's clip for the speech to determination connected from it is however I felt. I quipped successful the post-Derby interview, ‘Thank God I don’t person to reply that question anymore,’" DeVaux said.

The Saratoga Springs, New York, native, said that it’s an grant to beryllium idiosyncratic that radical look up to.

"It's an honor. And I clasp large respect with the information that I americium idiosyncratic present that people, women, men, radical look up to. That’s thing that I don’t suffer show of, and I’m conscionable retired doing my thing, and if that tin animate idiosyncratic else, it’s a bonus connected top," DeVaux said.

"I’ve ever felt similar we request to beryllium doing – we bid horses, but we tin scope the community, oregon others, conscionable by doing what we’re doing and conducting yourself, holding yourself accountable and to a higher standard."

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Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy aft Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby astatine Churchill Downs successful Louisville, Kentucky, connected May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)

DeVaux, astir a week and a fractional removed from the Kentucky Derby win, said that things are yet starting to settee down.

"It's been overwhelming successful a truly astonishing way," DeVaux said. "Been busy, doing a batch much extracurriculars different than moving our stable, which I support joking that erstwhile a league wins a championship, they spell to Disney World, and we proceed to person a batch of horses to train. So, things are starting to quiescent down a small spot and getting backmost to the enjoyment of moving with our horses and grooming the remainder of the stable."

Going into the race, Golden Tempo was 23-1 to triumph the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux said she felt bully astir Golden Tempo but was tempering her expectations.

"I felt that Golden Tempo was going to tally a truly bully race. We targeted the race. We had a program with him. He checked each the boxes. He got to the contention successful large order, but realistically, it's the derby. And it's our archetypal travel to the derby, and there's a batch of horses successful it. It’s not a precise bully accidental you're going to win, right?" DeVaux said.

"So, conscionable realistic expectations that I enactment connected the full concern was let's person fun. Hopefully, Golden Tempo runs a truly bully race. He comes with a tally and we're going to beryllium blessed with that."

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Trainer Cherie DeVaux stands extracurricular a barn aft a workout astatine Churchill Downs successful Louisville, Kentucky, connected April 27, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Golden Tempo’s moving benignant is described arsenic a heavy closer, which means that helium comes up to the battalion from mode retired of it. DeVaux said they person tried to usage blinkers to get him much engaged successful the opening of the race, but it’s conscionable not his style.

Golden Tempo stayed existent to signifier during the Kentucky Derby, arsenic helium surged from the backmost and into the pb late. DeVaux was making definite helium didn’t excavation himself excessively heavy of a spread with a dilatory start.

"Most of the race, I was conscionable keeping an oculus connected him, seeing however the contention is unfolding successful beforehand of him. And determination was a accelerated gait and a batch of those horses person not shown the propensity to privation to spell a mile and a quarter. Golden Tempo came closing astatine a mile and 3/16 successful the Louisiana Derby. So, we were precise assured successful his quality to grip that distance," DeVaux said.

"When I picked him up, I had a feeling that helium was going to marque a truly bully tally and person a bully showing of himself but had fixed himself truthful overmuch to do. So, arsenic he's picking them disconnected and he's coming, and he's coming and past erstwhile helium got to Renegade is erstwhile it was like, 'Oh my goodness, this mightiness beryllium happening' to helium got his caput successful beforehand and you know, the remainder is past arsenic they say."

"I blacked retired the past portion of it erstwhile helium won due to the fact that I conscionable couldn't judge that helium won the race. Like it was conscionable disbelief of I can't judge that truly conscionable happened."

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Jockey Jose L. Ortiz celebrates aft riding Golden Tempo to triumph successful the 152nd Kentucky Derby astatine Churchill Downs successful Louisville, Ky., connected May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)

Amid the chaos aft winning, DeVaux said she hasn’t sat down and genuinely reflected connected it each but has spent immoderate clip reasoning astir her travel into history.

"In little moments, I find myself reasoning astir things that person happened successful my beingness wherever I questioned my way and it's not conscionable the way to maine being a trainer. I was talking astir thing that happened successful my precocious 20s with a narration that went truly badly, and I was telling my adjunct really astir it I thought if I could past that, I tin past anything," DeVaux said.

"I've had these moments on the mode that I could person been discouraged, I could person left, and alternatively I conscionable had the fortitude to propulsion forward."

The fortitude to propulsion guardant has indirectly led to her Instagram messages being flooded with congratulations.

"There person been a batch and inactive muddling done the inbox," DeVaux said. "I didn’t recognize however galore messages you tin truly get connected Instagram.  Flavor Flav is the 1 that was jarring to maine a small spot erstwhile helium saw I was successful New York, similar 'hey we person an event' which my small '90s kid successful maine was reasoning that was beauteous cool."

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Cherie DeVaux celebrates aft becoming the archetypal pistillate trainer to triumph the Kentucky Derby during the 152nd moving astatine Churchill Downs successful Louisville, Kentucky, connected May 2, 2026. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

For DeVaux, she ne'er thought she would beryllium here.

"I've been overwhelmed truly with similar the absorption videos of conscionable Golden Tempo running, my absorption being a pistillate and you cognize that's conscionable thing I ne'er would person thought would person touched anybody," DeVaux said.

"I'm conscionable doing my happening cheering my equine on."

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