Cherie DeVaux
First Woman Trainer
to win the Kentucky Derby
Cherie DeVaux, First woman trainer to win Kentucky Derby (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cherie_DeVaux_2026.png)
Cherie DeVaux (pronounced Sheh REE⸍ Deh VOH⸍) grew up in a family of ten children. She is not the oldest or the youngest sibling, but her parents, Janet and Adrian “Butch” DeVaux, raised their children in the horse racing business. Family members attended the 152nd Run for the Roses May 2, 2026 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, to witness Cherie as the first woman trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo from last place in a field of 18 to pass the other 17 and win.
“…I’m just glad I could be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to,” DeVaux said after the race. “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, and you can pivot. You can come from one place and make yourself a part of history.”
She said she started her career 22 years ago and would not believe that she would be sitting in the stands and win. “Never in my life did I think I would,” she said. However, while she watched from the stands, she said she was not worried about Golden Tempo being last because he was running in his usual style.
She credits her husband, David Ingordo, who is also in the horse racing business, with encouraging her to start her own stable and for supporting her training career. She will not win the Triple Crown. She announced that Golden Tempo will not be running in the Preakness in Baltimore on May 16 because the horse needs time to rest. “His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority,” she said.
Bio
- Born – December 2, 1981 in Saratoga Springs, New York
- 1993 – Family moved to Englewood, Florida
- Graduated from Lemon Bay High School, Englewood
- 2000-2002 – Attended Florida Gulf Coast University; studied pre-med
- 2018 – Obtained her trainer’s license and established her own stable
- 2019 – March 29, First win as a trainer with horse named Traveling, Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida
- 2024 – Breeders’ Cup Mile winner with horse More Than Looks
- 2025 – Eclipse Award Champion Turf Female with horse She Feels Pretty
- 2026 – Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo
Personal
- 2018 – April, married David Ingordo; stepmother to Ingordo’s daughter, Reagan
- Has a support goat named Mickey
- Pet dog named Regina
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1NieUWd9Sk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIp6Xhkz4rU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXDSMOjg-rk
My ebooks available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com:
Honoring 23 Black Women, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists
