NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Cherie DeVaux made history when Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby in early May, becoming the first female trainer to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.
DeVaux, 44, said that while she never made her gender part of her identity as a horse trainer, it was the one thing she wanted to do as a woman.
“It was the one thing as a woman that I wanted to do, just because I thought it would be — that’s a nice benchmark. There are 151 races with all men, and then it’s me,” DeVaux told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Golden Tempo, celebrates with the trophy in the winner’s circle after the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on May 2, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“I’ve never decided that my gender was part of my identity as a trainer. I’m a horse trainer. We all work really hard, male, female. So it wasn’t on the heels of being a woman.”
For DeVaux, she was glad the conversation about a female Kentucky Derby winner could finally move forward.
“I was actually getting a little bit — I don’t want to say tired in a bad way, but that question kept coming up and it’s like, it’s time for the conversation to move on, that’s how I felt. I ranted in the post-Derby interview, ‘Thank God, I don’t have to answer that question anymore,'” DeVaux said.
The Saratoga Springs, New York, native said it’s an honor to be someone people look up to.
“It’s an honor. And I have a lot of respect for the fact that I’m somebody now that people, women, men, people look up to. It’s something that I don’t lose sight of and I’m just out there doing my thing, and if it can inspire someone else, that’s a bonus,” DeVaux said.
“I’ve always felt that we have to do that – we train horses, but we can reach out to the community or others just by doing what we do and conducting yourself, holding yourself accountable and to a higher standard.”
GOLDEN PACED TO DROP PREAKNESS STAKES, END TRIPLE CROWN BID, TRAINER CITES LONG-TERM HEALTH
Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
DeVaux, about a week and a half removed from the Kentucky Derby victory, said things are finally starting to fall into place.
“It’s been overwhelming in a really amazing way,” DeVaux said. “Busy doing a lot more extracurriculars than running our stable, which I keep joking that when a league wins a championship, they go to Disney World and we continue to have a lot of horses to train. So things start to settle down a bit and get back to the enjoyment of working with our horses and training the rest of the stable.”
Going into the race, Golden Tempo was 23-1 and won the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux said she felt good about Golden Tempo but tempered her expectations.
“I felt Golden Tempo would run a really good race. We targeted the race. We had a plan with him. He checked all the boxes. He came into the race in good order, but realistically it’s the Derby. And it’s our first trip to the Derby and there’s a lot of horses in it. It’s not a very good chance you’re going to win, is it?” DeVaux said.
“So, just realistic expectations that I put on the whole situation was that we’re going to have fun. Hopefully Golden Tempo runs a really good race. He’s going to have a run and we’re going to be happy about that.”
JORDON HUDSON, BILL BELICHICK TAKE IN CHURCHILL DOWNS DURING KENTUCKY DERBY WEEKEND
Trainer Cherie DeVaux stands outside a barn after a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on April 27, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)
Golden Tempo’s running style is described as a deep closer, meaning he comes up to the pack from way out. DeVaux said they’ve tried using flashes to get him more engaged at the beginning of the race, but that’s just not his style.
Golden Tempo stayed true to form during the Kentucky Derby as he surged from the back late into the lead. DeVaux made sure he didn’t dig himself too deep in a hole with a slow start.
“Most of the race I just kept an eye on him and saw how the race developed in front of him. And there was a fast pace, and a lot of those horses haven’t shown the inclination to want to go a mile and a quarter. The golden pace closed at a mile and 3/16 in the Louisiana Derby. So that said, we were very confident in his distance,” he said.
“When I picked him up, I had a feeling he was going to have a really good run and have a good showing of himself, but had given himself so much to do. So as he picks them up and he comes and he comes and then when he got to Renegade, that’s when it was like, ‘Oh my god, this can happen’, you know he got his head in front and they say he has his head in front.”
“I knocked the last part off when he won because I just couldn’t believe he won the race. Like it was just disbelief, I can’t believe it actually just happened.”
THE SURPRISING COSTS OF RENTING A CHURCHILL DOWNS HORSE STABLE DURING THE KENTUCKY DERBY
Jockey Jose L. Ortiz celebrates after riding Golden Tempo to victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
Amidst the post-victory chaos, DeVaux said she hasn’t sat down and really reflected on it all, but has spent some time thinking about her journey into history.
“For brief moments, I find myself thinking about things that have happened in my life where I’ve questioned my path, and it’s not just the path that I’m a coach. I was talking about something that happened in my late 20s with a relationship that went really bad, and I actually told my assistant about it, that I thought, if I can survive that, I can survive anything,” DeVaux said.
“I’ve had these moments along the way where I could have gotten discouraged, I could have walked away, and instead I just had the courage to push forward.”
The courage to push forward has indirectly led to her Instagram messages being flooded with congratulations.
“There’s been a lot and still rummaging through the inbox,” DeVaux said. “I didn’t realize how many messages you can really get on Instagram. Flavor Flav is the one who kind of gave me a shout out when he saw I was in New York, like ‘hey, we’re having an event,’ which my little ’90s kid in me thought was pretty cool.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Cherie DeVaux celebrates after becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby during the 152nd running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on May 2, 2026. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
For DeVaux, she never thought she would be here.
“I’ve been really overwhelmed with reaction videos of just Golden Tempo running, my reaction is a woman and you know it’s just something I never would have thought would have touched anybody,” DeVaux said.
“I’m just doing my thing and cheering on my horse.”
