Who is Cherie DeVaux, the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby?

With the odds stacked heavily against him, Golden Tempo stormed to an improbable victory at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, making trainer Cherie DeVaux the first woman to saddle the winner of the most famous horse race in the United States. Sent off at the odds of 24-1 in the race on Saturday, Golden Tempo broke slowly under jockey Jose Ortiz and trailed the 18-horse field before threading through traffic and unleashing a late charge from the outside to claim the “Run for the Roses” by a neck on a brisk day in Louisville, Kentucky. Renegade, the 5-1 cofavourite ridden by Ortiz’s brother Irad Ortiz Jr, finished second while 70-1 longshot Ocelli was third in front of a crowd of 150,415. DeVaux burst into tears of joy and celebrated with her family as the feat etched her name in history. The 44-year-old from Saratoga Springs, New York, is a thoroughbred trainer based in Kentucky who grew up around horses and has a family history in the sport. In a bid to avoid burnout as an assistant trainer, she took a chance on going solo and got her training licence in 2018. The move paid off as she earned her first win in 2019 on just her 29th start. Since then, she has racked up more than 300 victories, including 21 wins in 2026 before the derby. The Kentucky Derby is the opening leg of the Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes is next up on May 16 before the series concludes with the Belmont Stakes on June 6. The race typically has 20 thoroughbreds but went on with just 18 hor