DeVaux First Woman to Garner Kentucky Derby as Trainer

The dream of conditioning horses in top races didn't take hold of Cherie DeVaux from the start. But after becoming the first woman to capture the Kentucky Derby (G1) as a trainer by sending out Golden Tempo to victory in the 152nd edition of the race May 2 at Churchill Downs, she may be the one who sparks dreams of girls and women thinking about becoming involved in horse racing. While DeVaux largely downplayed the accomplishment of becoming the first woman to win the Derby—noting that racing offers no easy success for anyone—the opportunity to inspire others is the part of the feat that provided satisfaction. "It really is an honor to be able to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to," DeVaux said. "You can dream big and you can pivot, you can come from one place and make yourself a part of history." DeVaux turned toward racing while taking pre-med studies in college when she took a job walking horses, and then exercising horses. Initially it was just a job, but it gradually took hold and DeVaux decided the horses were a bigger calling than college. She credited her time working with the late trainer Chuck Simon as shaping her life in a positive way and forming a foundation and belief that she could succeed in this highly competitive career. "Being a woman has never really crossed my mind in this journey of mine," DeVaux said. "I have to say, the racetrack is a tough place for everyone. It's a tough place if you're a man, it's a tough place if you're a woman. The thing that really has become apparent to me is that not everyone has the same constitution as I have mentally." That belief has helped DeVaux go from starting her first horse in 2018, to winning her first race in 2019, to securing her first graded stakes with Gam's Mission in 2021, to winning her first Breeders' Cup race in 2024 with More Than Looks in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) in a season her stable surpassed $10 million in earnings, to winning the Kentucky Derby Saturday for some of the top owners in the sport in the Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable. Appropriately enough, Daisy Phipps Pulito is one of the principals behind her family's longtime racing and breeding power that captured the 2013 Derby with Orb, with her father, Dinny (Ogden Phipps Jr.), at the helm (Orb was co-owned by Stuart Janney III.). And Vincent Viola was joined on stage for the postrace press conference with wife Teresa, who has been involved in St. Elias Stable over the years and already was listed as one of the women who have won the Derby as an owner with Always Dreaming in 2017. As owners, women have been at the center of some memorable Derby victories, accounting for 23 wins since Laska Durnell became the first woman to start a horse in the Derby in 1904 and won it that year with Elwood. Since then, to name a few, Lucille Wright Markey was credited with four Derby wins; Penny Chenery sent out back-to-back winners Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972 and 1973, respectively; Diana Firestone won with filly Genuine Risk in 1980; and Frances Genter captured the hearts of a television audience with Unbridled in 1990. In terms of Derby success, it's been a tougher go for women on the training side than ownership. Nineteen Derby horses have been saddled by women with the top previous outcome being Casual Lies' runner-up finish for owner/trainer Shelley Riley in 1992. After the race, DeVaux credited Simon with getting her to cut down on the partying and focus more on her career. Now, DeVaux has made history. "It was just one of those things where things just happened to work out," DeVaux said. "You know, I, I didn't want to be a horse trainer. It just kind of evolved into that."