First Female Derby Winner Now Faces Crucial Triple Crown Decision

By Sunday morning trainer Cherie DeVaux had received about 800 messages from well-wishers — friends, family, and those who just wanted to be part of history — for her groundshaking turn as the first woman in 152 years to win the Kentucky Derby. Golden Tempo went from last to first to capture a thrilling Run for the Roses Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. As the celebration settles, the 44-year-old trainer now faces a pressure-packed decision on whether to race her horse two weeks from now at the Preakness Stakes and keep alive the quest to win the coveted Triple Crown.Ms. DeVaux and the owners of Golden Tempo said they’ll decide in the coming days whether the thoroughbred will enter the Preakness set for May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland while its traditional home, Pimlico, undergoes extensive renovations.“We’ll assess how he’s doing,” Ms. DeVaux told a media scrum at the Derby racetrack on Sunday. “As long as he’s in tip-top shape, we’ll talk about the Preakness. It’s on the table.”The decision will have monumental implications for the industry.Ms. DeVaux is the biggest topic in horse racing today, and one of the biggest stories in sports overall. Golden Tempo, a 23-1 choice at post-time, went from last to first in the 18-horse field as jockey Jose Ortiz navigated through the crowded thunder to edge out Renegade, ridden by his brother Irad, and win by a nose.Ms. DeVaux already cherishes her place in horse racing history by capturing the Derby in her first attempt. “It’s amazing that I get to be that person and never have to answer the question about what it would mean to be the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby,” she said. “I’m proud to be that person for the sport.”To do something that hasn’t been accomplished in 152 years attracts attention, the kind of positive attention horse racing needs, the kind of attention generated when a horse has a chance to become the first Triple Crown winner since Justify in 2018.In recent years, it has become an increasing trend for Kentucky Derby winners to skip the Preakness and forgo a chance at winning the most coveted title in the sport as trainers prefer to rest their horses in hopes of prolonging their career and stud value.Renegade trainer Todd Pletcher and the trainer of third-place finisher Ocelli, Whit Beckman, have already announced their horses will skip the Preakness. In addition, three of the last five Derby winners — Mandaloun (2021), Rich Strike (2022) and Sovereignty (2025) — did not enter the Preakness, sparking discussions about whether the Triple Crown races need to be spaced out perhaps to running the Derby in May, the Preakness in June, and the Belmont in July.But part of the lure of winning the Triple Crown is because of the skill and endurance it takes to win all three races in a span of five weeks. Any change in the format will be discussed at a later date, but Golden Tempo not showing up for the 2026 Preakness would be a massive buzzkill not only for the race itself but for horse racing in general.When Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness with Sovereignty and then won the Belmont over the Preakness winner and only horse to compete in all three Triple Crown races, Journalism, it set an uncomfortable precedent for traditionalists.“The Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason,” Ms. DeVaux said. “I appreciate the history of it. Horses are definitely different. They’re not built the same. They’re not trained the same as back then. But current times have shown that it can be done with the right horse.”Ms. DeVaux’s decision carries extra weight because her presence will generate as much news as Golden Tempo. Her story is a lesson of belief, perseverance, and support.She comes from a lineage of harness racing trainers and drivers but initially pursued a career in medicine. She dropped those plans to take a low-paying job walking horses before serving as an assistant trainer under Chad Brown.In 2018, she decided to start her own stable. “Give it three years,” her husband and bloodstock agent David Angrodo, told her. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always go do something else.”It took 11 months for her to get her first win, and by 2024 she was noticed for her horses winning more than $10 million on the racetrack. Golden Tempo’s co-owner, Daisy Phipps Pulito, whose father and grandfather built one of the sport’s leading stables, began sending some of their top prospects to her barn.“I love the way she develops a horse,” Ms. Phipps Pulito said. “We thought Golden Tempo would be a great match, and it was.”Ms. DeVaux said long ago that “the only thing I want to do in my career is be the first female to win the Kentucky Derby.” After Jenna Antonucci became the first woman to win a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo (7-1) captured the 2023 Belmont Stakes, Ms. DeVaux has now secured her own place in racing history.“Being a female in this industry the standards aren’t always equal,” she told LEX18 in Louisville. “The joke is that I take longer to do my hair than Bob Baffert does. But I’m the type of person that doesn’t look at it as male vs. female. I just try to do the best I can to be a strong role model.”

First Female Derby Winner Now Faces Crucial Triple Crown Decision

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