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History was just made at the Kentucky Derby. Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the race in its 152-year history. Her horse, Golden Tempo, and his jockey, Jose Ortiz, achieved an improbable victory, beating the 23-1 odds at the send off. With a time of 2:02.27, Golden Tempo claimed the “Run for the Roses” by running past 17 other horses in the field, winning by a neck.
The 44-year-old trainer is just the 18th woman to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby. The previous best result for a woman was that of Shelley Riley in 1992, whose horse, Casual Lies, came in second. DeVaux is also the second woman to train a horse that won a Triple Crown race. The first to do it was Jena Antonucci with her horse Arcangelo, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2023.
“My gender has never really crossed my mind in this journey of mine,” DeVaux said after her historic win. “The race track is a tough place. 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. It really is an honor to be able to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to. You can dream big or you can pivot. You can come from one place, and you can make yourself a part of history.”
Ahead of the race on Saturday, May 2, DeVaux was constantly asked about the possibility of becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. “I’m just glad I don’t have to answer that question anymore,” she told reporters. She then posted images of her posing with the trophy and snuggling with her horse the morning after the race.
DeVaux’s road to win the most famous horse race in the United States traces back to her childhood, being born in a family with horses and connections in the sport. After experimenting with other career paths, she became an assistant trainer. In 2018, she got her training license. A year later, she earned her first win in just her 29th start.
“I didn’t believe,” DeVaux said. “I started my career here 22 years ago as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed exercise rider. And I would not believe that I would be sitting up here today. Never in my life did I think I would.”
Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby in its 152-year history.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Her horse, Golden Tempo, and his jockey, Jose Ortiz, achieved an improbable victory, beating the 23-1 odds at the send off.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
With a time for of 2:02.27, Golden Tempo claimed the “Run for the Roses” by running past 17 other horses in the field, winning by a neck.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Cherie DeVaux: Instagram
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