On 2nd May 2026 barriers were broken at Churchill Downs when Golden Tempo, under Jose Ortiz, produced a stunning last to first run to take the 152nd Kentucky Derby by a neck, securing trainer Cherie DeVaux’s place in history as the first female trainer to win the “Run for the Roses”.
A former assistant to Chad Brown, Cherie has trained under her own name since 2018.
Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, she said: “I’m glad I can be a representative of women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to.”
She is the second female trainer to win a leg of the US Triple Crown, following on from Jena Antonuccui’s win in the 2023 Belmont Stakes with Arcangelo.