Meet Cherie DeVaux, 1st Woman To Train A Kentucky Derby Winner, Is She Married? All About Her Family

Cherie DeVaux, an American Thoroughbred horse trainer, made history as Golden Tempo became the winner of the Kentucky Derby. At one point, it felt that Golden Tempo had no chance to win, as it started very slowly.

However, towards the end, Golden Tempo’s jockey, Jose Ortiz, sped the colt up, and it ended up on the finishing line, passing the competitors. As Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby, it’s the colt’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, who has been grabbing all the attention, being the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. The winning prize of the Kentucky Derby this year has been USD 1.3 million. Well, as the trainer, Cherie DeVaux is making headlines, let’s know all about her.

Who’s Cherie DeVaux? The first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby?

Cherie DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, and she is now 44 years old. She has a long history in horse racing; however, she has not planned to do the same from the beginning. Cherie DeVaux studied pre-med in college; however, she never went down the path of becoming a doctor. She began her career in stable roles such as a hot walker and exercise rider, before she advanced her skills to become a trainer.

Cherie DeVaux later became a trainer for Chuck Simona in Saratoga. Following this, Cherie DeVaux started working as an assistant trainer for Chad Brown and spent 8 years honing her skills as a trainer. After 8 long years of working, Cherie DeVaux bagged her license to be a trainer, and in 2018, she launched her own training program. Her first win in her career came in 2019 at Gulfstream Park with Travelling. To mention, Cherie DeVaux has trained multiple graded stakes winners, including training standout horses like She Feels Pretty and Vahva.

Cherie DeVaux’s reaction to her historic win at the 152nd Kentucky Derby

With now a Derby winner under her belt, she is the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. Apart from that, she is also a trainer of the Breeders’ Cup winner. Golden Tempo started slow, but the colt’s win is something that is truly historic. As he became the first in the 152nd Kentucky Derby, Renegade took the second, and Ocelli achieved the third spot, respectively. Along with the win came Cherie DeVaux’s first reaction. She said that she is the happiest that she is able to represent women, while adding that if a woman sets her mind to something, they can achieve anything they want to. She, in a post-race conference, said:

“I’m glad I can be representative of women everywhere. We can do anything we set our minds to.”

Just a day before the race, Cherie DeVaux spoke to LEX18 and mentioned that she doesn’t take this field as man vs woman, and rather, she tries her best to give her best, and in the back of her mind, she just wants to be a role model. She also added that she has had only one dream to be the first female to win the Kentucky Derby. Well, she dreamt, and she definitely lived that in reality. A video from the race also made rounds, and Cherie DeVaux was seen extremely thrilled as the colt crossed the finishing line, being the first among other competitors. Cherie DeVaux said:

“I don’t really look at it as male versus female. I just try to do the best I can, but in the back of my mind, just to be a strong role model. The only thing I want to do in my career is be the first female to win a Kentucky Derby. This is our first Derby starter, and we’re one step closer.”

Is Cherie DeVaux married? All about her family

Cherie DeVaux grew up in a family that further shaped her love of horse racing. Her dad, Butch DeVaux, worked in Standardbred (harness) racing, while her sister, Adrianne DeVaux, is also a trainer. Adrianne DeVaux had been Cherie’s trainer for four years, and then she started out on her own. Adrianne DeVaux is currently married to retired horse trainer Rodrigo Ubillo. Adrianne is 26 years old and is a mom to her stepdaughter. Cherie’s brother, Jimmy, is also a trainer and driver. Speaking of Cherie, she once spoke about her childhood, when she grew up in the back of a stable. Sharing more about the same, in 2023, Cherie told Horse Racing Nation:

“When I was younger than Adrianne (is now), they had gotten out of harness racing. I really grew up on the backside with a pretty large stable of theirs. When they got out and moved to Florida, that’s when I started into more fun riding.” 

In her personal life, Cherie DeVaux is married to bloodstock agent David Ingordo. David Ingordo is from a racing family background. He started working for Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel at age 14, and by the age of 18, David became Bobby’s assistant trainer. David completed his graduation from the University of Kentucky and worked at Juddmonte and Walmac Farms in Kentucky before establishing his own bloodstock agency.

David has a daughter from his first marriage, and Cherie is her stepmother. To honour her stepdaughter, Cherie named several horses after her stepdaughter, Reagan Ingordo. There’s no denying the fact that this is a massive win for the entire family, and speaking about the same, Reagan, after the Kentucky Derby revealed that she’s extremely proud of her stepmom.

Photos by: Cherie DeVaux/IG

What do you think about Cherie DeVaux breaking all the barriers and being the first female trainer of a Kentucky Derby winner?

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