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Cherie DeVaux made history as the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby with her horse Golden Tempo. She celebrated her victory by paying tribute to her husband, David Ingordo, who inspired her to pursue a career in horse racing.
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Trainer Cherie DeVaux celebrates after her horse Golden Tempo won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby in the winners circle at Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Cherie DeVaux is the first female trainer to win a Kentucky Derby. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA KYP20260502154a JOHNxSOMMERSxII ©IMAGO/UPI Photo
When David Ingordo inspired his wife to become a horse racing trainer in the late 2010s, the decision proved to be the right one. It went down in horse racing history when Cherie DeVaux won the 152nd Kentucky Derby, becoming the first woman trainer to do so. Now, while basking in the glory, DeVaux was quick to celebrate the âall-in-oneâ who inspired her all those years ago.
The 44-year-old posted an emotional birthday message on her X (formerly Twitter), thanking her husband for everything.
âHappiest of birthdays to the one who is the reason I became a trainer,â DeVaux wrote on X. âDavid saw potential in me and believed in me long before I believed in myself. He has been my biggest supporter, my therapist, my sounding board, and my wailing wall through every high and low since the day we met. None of this journey would have been possible without him beside me. He deserves the world and so much more. Happy 50th birthday, David â€ïžâ
While neither Ingordo nor DeVaux has ever revealed the year they met, it is known that by 2017, they were in a relationship and married soon after. Around that time, DeVaux was still working for Chad Brown as an assistant horse trainer and questioning her future. But Ingordo, a bloodstock agent and a well-regarded figure in the industry, knew exactly what she should be doing.
After all, he saw the potential in her from the moment they met. Itâs exactly why he pushed, or rather, inspired her to get her license and eventually set up her own shop.
Cherie DeVaux is the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, achieving this milestone with her horse Golden Tempo in 2026.
David Ingordo inspired Cherie DeVaux to become a horse racing trainer and has been her biggest supporter throughout her journey.
Cherie DeVaux won the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026.
Cherie DeVaux expressed her gratitude on social media, thanking David for believing in her and supporting her throughout her career.
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âI always say that talent and class are evident in horses and people very quickly,â Ingordo told Yahoo Sports. âAnd, you know, Iâd watch Cherie and see her, and I knew her from her previous job. And I could watch, the one trainerâs name might have been on the headlines, but I saw who was doing the work. And I told her, âYouâre too talented to be an assistant. And itâd be a waste if you donât try it.ââ
Thatâs something DeVaux herself attested to, and she even revealed that Ingordo told her to give it three years.
âHe just told me, âJust give it three years. Letâs just give it three years and see if it works out.â And I could always go and do something else,â DeVaux said, as per Wral News.
Clearly, the advice paid off, and not just at the Kentucky Derby. Since her debut as a horse racing trainer in 2018, Cherie DeVaux has had horses in more than 1800 races. Out of those, sheâs won 300 while finishing either second or third 488 times. Furthermore, her career earnings crossed the $35 million mark earlier this year, partly thanks to the Derby win.
Yet, thatâs a far cry from where she started. Because, for the unversed, it took DeVaux eleven months to win her first race. Unfortunately for her, it just happened to be David Ingordoâs fault.
A well-regarded bloodstock agent and a budding horse trainer. It seemed to be a match made in heaven when David Ingordo and Cherie DeVaux got married. After all, a horse trainer depends on agents to find them the perfect horse, which in turn will boost the agentâs reputation if the animal does well. Unfortunately for Cherie DeVaux, things didnât go according to plan.
Instead, the then 36-year-old struggled to win any of the races she participated in for the first eleven months of her career, from her debut in 2018, to a first win in March 2019. Her first win arrived when Traveling won the Maiden Claiming, but she wouldnât win another for four months, and then the gap got shorter and shorter as everything clicked into place.
Yet, as it turns out, that eleven-month drought had nothing to do with DeVauxâs talents. Instead, it was, according to his own words, her husband and bloodstock agent, David Ingordoâs fault.
âThat was 100% my fault,â Ingordo told Yahoo Sports. âWe gathered up some horses of our own; we were totally self-funded. And the collection of horses I gathered were yaks, llamas, and sheep. They werenât related to the equine species.
âI told her, âYou should have divorced me for the effing horses I put in there.ââ
Seven years later, and itâs clear the two didnât just figure things out; theyâve become a world-class trainer and agent pair. They have even expanded their partnership into other ventures. It includes picking fillies for Belladonna Racing since 2019. This led to significant success, including consecutive graded race wins in 2023.
Itâs why Cherie DeVaux never forgot who pushed her to leap in the first place, even after making Kentucky Derby history. Seven years after David Ingordo handed her a stable full of what he jokingly called âyaks and llamas,â the pair are now in the history books.
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