Cherie DeVaux made history as the first female trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby, with Golden Tempo claiming victory. The horse, a longshot at 23-1 odds, surged from 18th to 1st place with jockey Jose Ortiz.
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On Saturday, Golden Tempo rode to victory at the 2026 Kentucky Derby, becoming the latest longshot to win. But the impressive win was also a historic one: With Golden Tempo beating out co-favorite Renegade at the finish line, trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby.
DeVaux trained the bay-colored colt for Phipps Stable, owned by Daisy Phipps Pulito, and St. Elias Stable, owned by Vincent Viola. The horse, set at 23-1 odds heading into the event, picked up the win behind an impressive mad dash from 18th to 1st with jockey Jose Ortiz.
After the race, DeVaux celebrated with her husband, sister, daughter and nephew by her side shedding plenty of tears of joy.
“I’m glad that I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to,” DeVaux said on the broadcast while holding her young nephew, Maverick.
Originally from Saratoga Springs, New York, DeVaux is a thoroughbred trainer based in Kentucky who has been training since 2018. In all, DeVaux has racked up more than 1,800 starts since then, per Equibase. She’s earned 297 first-place finishes and $32,944,104 in total prize money over those eight years.
That money doesn’t include the $310,000 that DeVaux will net for training the winning Kentucky Derby horse, earning 10% of the $3.1 million payout for the winner.
Much of DeVaux’s family is involved in the horse training world, per DeVaux’s Keeneland : DeVaux’s brother, Jimmy, is a driver and trainer, while her sister Adrianne began training in 2024. DeVaux’s husband, David Ingordo, is a bloodstock agent — i.e., an agent for the buying and selling of thoroughbreds.
Cherie DeVaux is the first female trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby, achieving this milestone with her horse Golden Tempo.
Golden Tempo entered the race with odds set at 23-1.
Golden Tempo won the race by making an impressive comeback, moving from 18th to 1st place in a remarkable dash.
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Prior to Golden Tempo’s win at Churchill Downs, DeVaux’s biggest achievement came in 2024, with trainee More Than Looks winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile. DeVaux also trained turf mare She Feels Pretty, who won multiple races last year, including the Modesty Stakes at Churchill Downs last year.
In addition to Golden Tempo, DeVaux had three other horses in the other races at Churchill Downs on Saturday, all jockeyed by Jose Ortiz. Foals Englishman and Remember Mamba finished second at the Pat Day Mile Stakes and American Turf Stakes, respectively, and foal Cromwell finished fourth at the Maiden Special Weight race, which was the first of the day.
DeVaux also had four horses compete in the Kentucky Oaks on Friday; two, Soaring High and Prepped, won.
Including DeVaux, 18 women have trained horses that made it to Derby day. Prior to Saturday, the best finish belonged to Shelley Riley, who took second with Casual Lies in 1992.