Cherie DeVaux Becomes 1st Female Trainer to Win at Kentucky Derby With Horse Golden Tempo

Cherie DeVaux has made history as the first woman trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby, after horse Golden Tempo triumphed at Churchill Downs.

“I don’t even have any words right now. I just can’t,” DeVaux, 44, told reporters after Golden Tempo’s victory on Saturday, May 2. “I’m just so so so happy for Golden Tempo. José [Ortiz, the jockey] did a wonderful job, a masterful job getting him there and he has had so much faith in this horse.”

When asked what it meant to her to become the first female trainer to emerge victorious at the historic race, she added, “I honestly don’t know, I’m glad that I can be a representative of all women everywhere that we can do anything that we set our minds to.”

DeVaux was joined during her post-race interview by her and husband David Ingordo’s 15-year-old daughter Reagan, who proudly described her mom’s historic Kentucky Derby win as “truly an honor.”

“I’m proud of you, I really am,” Reagan told her mom.

Jockey José and Golden Temple outran heavy favorites Renegade, So Happy and Further Ado at the annual Louisville, Kentucky, race. This was José’s first Derby victory — a career milestone he achieved while competing head-to-head against his brother Irad Ortiz Jr., who was riding Renegade.

“It’s very special,” José told reporters while crying. “I just wish my grandpa was here … I’m just very happy that I get my goal, my life-dream goal, achieved. It’s an amazing experience and I can’t wait to see my family and celebrate.”

José started jockeying in his native Puerto Rico before moving to the U.S. to compete in the mid-2010s. (José and his wife, former jockey Taylor Ortiz, share three children: daughter Leilani and sons Derek and Nikolai.)