This year’s Kentucky Derby horse race was considered a milestone in the event’s history. It wasn’t because the winner Golden Tempo was a longshot who won a come-from-behind victory. It was because Golden Tempo’s trainer is a woman; she’s the first woman trainer to win the Derby. For me, though, that wasn’t what impressed me. It was the way Cherie DeVaux talked about the horse.
Thoroughbred Park, Lexington Kentucky. Photo by Cristina Anne Costello on Unsplash
This year’s Derby was the 152nd running of the race. Devaux’s comments after the race put the horse first: “I’m just so, so, so happy for Golden Tempo… .” And then, “Training Golden Tempo has really been a treat. There’s not a lot of times when a colt that is as big as he is, is as pleasurable as he is. He is just such a consummate professional. He’s got a wonderful personality, so really, he allowed us to train him, and he responded to what we asked him to do throughout each process. He improved each race. We trained him a bit hard in between, and he showed up for us every time.” (1)
The Kentucky Derby is the first race in the sport’s Triple Crown. When DeVaux was asked whether her winner would run in the Preakness, the next race in the Triple Crown, she said, “We’re gonna let him decide that. We’re gonna see how he looks tomorrow and subsequently in the next couple of days, but we’re going to have to allow him to tell us because the horse is first. We’re not here for ourselves. We’re not here for our egos. We’re here for the horse.” (1)
And the trainer’s language about putting the horse first remained present a few days later when the stable made the decision for Golden Tempo to skip the second race in the Triple Crown: “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.” (2)
Regarding the glass ceiling DeVaux broke at the Kentucky Derby, she said, “I’m glad that I can be a representative of all women everywhere. That we can do anything we set our minds to.” (1) She continued, “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.” (3)
So often when we set out to accomplish something with our equine partners, the goal can get in the way of the partnership. To hear someone at this level of equine sport put the horse first and really demonstrate they mean it after topping their profession is something worth celebrating indeed.
Ohman, Emily, and Dan Santaromita. “Golden Tempo Wins Kentucky Derby, Giving Trainer Cherie DeVaux Historic Victory.” The New York Times, May 3, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7247234/2026/05/02/kentucky-derby-winner-results-payouts-golden-tempo-2026/
Powell, Zach. “Golden Tempo Will Skip Preakness after Historic Kentucky Derby Win.” The New York Times, May 11, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7252748/2026/05/06/preakness-stakes-golden-tempo-race-2026/.
Ohman, Emily, and Dan Santaromita. “How Cherie DeVaux Went from ‘Wild Child’ Premed Student to Kentucky Derby-Winning Trainer.” The New York Times, May 3, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7249213/2026/05/02/cherie-devaux-female-trainer-kentucky-derby-winner/