LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX18) — Success in thoroughbred racing is rarely immediate. For trainer Cherie DeVaux, it was built over years of persistence, long before the spotlight ever found her.
DeVaux spent more than a decade working her way through the industry, learning under top trainers and refining her craft with the goal of one day running her own stable. In 2018, she took that step, leaving her role as an assistant trainer to go out on her own.
“It was a conversation with my now husband,” DeVaux said. “I was burned out from being an assistant trainer. I wanted to do something more for myself.”
The transition was not immediate. DeVaux said it took nearly a year to win her first race, and early challenges were compounded when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the sport soon after.
But her approach remained steady, building a strong team and maintaining a positive mindset.
Such a sweet morning spent with @KentuckyDerby contender, Golden Tempo!
— Hannah Hamelback (@hhamelbackTV) April 23, 2026
Don’t miss the story on this handsome guy’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux (@reredevaux), airing on @LEX18News on Derby Day 🐎 pic.twitter.com/NR3MvfuI8B
That perseverance eventually paid off. DeVaux secured her first graded stakes win in 2019 and later broke through on one of racing’s biggest stages with a victory at the Breeders’ Cup, a milestone she described as the culmination of years of sacrifice and hard work.
Her rise has come in a sport where women remain underrepresented at the highest levels. While DeVaux acknowledges the challenges, she focuses less on comparisons and more on setting an example.
“I don’t really look at it as male versus female,” she said. “I just try to do the best I can, but in the back of my mind, just to be a strong role model.”
Now, DeVaux is approaching another milestone.
No female trainer has ever won the Kentucky Derby. In Derby 152, DeVaux will saddle her first starter, Golden Tempo, giving her an opportunity to challenge that history.
Big boy is resting up pic.twitter.com/9IQ68T6jjR
— Cherie DeVaux (@reredevaux) May 2, 2026
“The only thing I want to do in my career is be the first female to win a Kentucky Derby,” she said. “This is our first Derby starter, and we’re one step closer.”
Regardless of the result, DeVaux said her journey carries a broader message, one rooted in persistence and resilience.
“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there,” she said. “You have to be willing to fail to be able to succeed.”
From taking a chance on herself to earning a place in the starting gate, DeVaux now finds herself within reach of a milestone that has never been achieved, and a chance to redefine what is possible in thoroughbred racing.
